Gossip
by J-Pop Princess
Summary: Kakashi and Ino have never paid much attention to each other, but all that changes when the rumors start to fly. Ordinarily, he would ignore this kind of thing, but she's just so good at making his life a living hell!
1. Gossip

Naruto and all associated characters are not mine!

XXXXX

Gossip

It would have been so easy for things to turn out differently. If only the straightest path to the Hokage's hadn't been by that particular café. If only he had been a little more absorbed in his book and oblivious to the world around him. If only the weather hadn't been so nice and the two gossiping kunoichi had opted to eat inside. However, it would appear that the whole world was against Kakashi Hatake that particular day, he just didn't know it yet.

Everything seemed peaceful in Konoha that morning. The sun was shining, a breeze was blowing and the great Copy Ninja had the latest volume of Icha Icha Paradise. All seemed right in the world as Kakashi made his way towards the Hokage's office, his nose buried in his book as he walked. He was so adept at reading and walking that maneuvering his way through crowds was second nature now, hardly ever loosing his place no matter what obstacles lay before him.

The crowds finally began to thin out a little bit as he made through the marketplace and into one of Konoha's quieter districts filled with shops and eateries.

Despite his engrossment in the current romance novel, Kakashi couldn't help but be aware of his surroundings, his reactions as a ninja engrained a little too deeply to repress. Anyone else would have missed the faint sound of his name coming from down the street but the sharingan user's ears instantly pricked as he heard a female voice talking about him, a voice that was strangely familiar.

Curious as to who was speaking and why he was the topic of conversation, he nimbly leapt to the rooftops so he could get closer while still remaining unseen, repressing his chakra to make himself all but invisible.

He jumped from roof to roof, following the speaker's voice until she came into view.

Even from the back he recognized her immediately. The long blonde ponytail and purple attire made her identity easy to guess, and if that weren't enough, her obnoxious voice was unmistakable. He didn't know how the pink haired woman sitting across from her managed to deal with it all day long.

Sakura shared a table with her friend in front of a little café where they had decided to spend their lunch break, needing to escape the sterile interior of the hospital they worked in, even if it was just for an hour.

However, it seemed the more experienced medical ninja was having trouble leaving work at work. In her hand she held a medical journal which she perused as she ate. Kakashi wondered if she was really that serious about her job or if it was a way to cope with her friend's overbearing company.

Ino chatted away anyway, seemingly oblivious to the fact that Sakura's attentions were directed elsewhere.

"…and seriously what is up with that mask? Is he really that ugly? I mean, what could be so bad that he has to hide his face from the world?"

"I've been wondering the same thing for years." Sakura replied absently as she flipped a page before pausing to stuff a bite of salad in her mouth.

Kakashi chuckled quietly form his perch. It had always amused him to no end when his students had tried countless times to see under the black cloth covering his face, and each try had been more creative than the last. Very few people had actually seen his face and he planned to keep it that way. He had his reasons but he has to admit a sadistic side of him took pleasure in the curiosity it seemed to stir in those around him.

"And those books? Honestly, how can he go around reading those in public? I mean, think of what is written in them!"

"I try not to." Sakura replied, pausing in her reading to drink water from her glass.

"I know the author is supposed to be some legendary sennin but seriously, the stuff he writes is just plain disgusting. I personally wouldn't be caught dead reading it."

At this Kakashi frowned. Now wait just a minute. What gave her the right to insult his precious Icha Icha? It was true that some people found it unbecoming but what he read was his business and if he wanted to read it in public then he had every right to.

The Copy Ninja huffed in annoyance as he crossed his arms, his prized book dangling from his fingers. Some people just couldn't appreciate good literature and it came as no surprise that Ino was such a person. She struck him as the kind that appreciated little except her own face in the mirror, vain and shallow.

"And the plots are so unrealistic." The blonde continued. "The main character always ends up with a girl in his bed no matter what. You think that if these women were experienced ninjas, they would see him for what he really was, a pig and a womanizer."

"The only pig around here is you and for someone so disgusted by these books, you seem to know an awful lot about them." Sakura said, her bored tone betraying nothing.

Kakashi however nearly laughed out loud, the corner of his mouth twitching with mirth as the long haired woman below him turned three shades pinker and frantically tried to back peddle. He felt pride swell in his chest for his former student, even though that pride had nothing to do with his teachings. Sakura sometimes had a sharp tongue to go with her sharper mind and he liked that, especially when she used it to call out annoying blonde women.

But Kakashi had to give the girl some credit. It appeared she read Icha Icha after all, even if she denied it. He could appreciate a woman with hidden passions. Maybe the busty blonde wasn't so bad after all.

"But like I was saying," Ino continued, obviously trying to change the subject. "I don't understand how he got the reputation of being so good with women. Sakura, you spent years with the man. Have you ever actually SEEN him with a woman?"

"Watching my teacher seduce someone is hardly something I kept an eye out for. I don't go around asking you about Azuma's love life do I?"

"Man, Azuma had girls around him ALL the time, well, at least until he settled down with Kurenai." Ino gushed. "But I can't say the same for your sensei. You know what I think?"

"No, but I'm sure you're going to tell me." Sakura said without shifting her eyes from her medical journal.

"I think that the books are all the action he's getting and that's why he reads them so much. He's beyond deprived!"

Ok, scratch that last thought. The blonde was bad, definitely bad. Kakashi's brow furrowed in anger. How the hell had she come up with a hypothesis like that? Just because he was subtle about his flings didn't mean they didn't exist. She had no right to go sticking her nose in his business anyways.

"You can totally tell just by looking at him. He depends on those books like the air he breathes. It's like he's never experienced the real thing for himself, or he's experienced far too little to be satisfied. Maybe that's how he gets a sexual fix just so he can function."

"Ino, please stop talking about my sensei's sex life. I'm trying to eat." Sakura said evenly, all too used to her friend's gossiping, but slightly disgusted all the same.

"Ok, ok. You're no fun anymore Sakura, you realize that? I remember when it took so little to get you riled up. It was so much more fun that way."

"Well some of us just learned how to act mature."

"Acting mature hasn't made you're forehead any smaller though. It's still as big as ever."

"Ino," Sakura growled warningly as her patience grew thin, a vein popping out on said forehead.

Kakashi tore his vision away from the young women to glance at the sun. Damn, he hadn't meant to stay here so long. Tsunade would chew him out good when he finally got to his office.

Replacing the orange jacketed book safely in his kunai pouch, the Jounin took off along the roof tops towards his destination, trying to clear the annoying blonde's voice from his head but for some reason, her words kept repeating. Did he really look like someone who was so sex starved he resorted to books for fulfillment? He read them because they were well written and about a topic he could relate to: the life of a shinobi. While he certainly didn't mind the plentiful, graphic erotica scenes, he didn't buy the books because of them. He had certainly had enough real life sexual escapades to keep him occupied and doubted he would have much trouble engaging in more. Yet he couldn't clear his head of Ino's words that irritated and scratched at his brain like a splinter.

Growling in annoyance, he pushed the visage of the purple clothed woman from his mind, telling himself that he never previously cared what people thought of him and starting now would be silly, especially if someone like Ino was the root of his insecurities.

Yes, the logic made sense in his head, but as he bounded towards the Hokage's office, he couldn't help but wonder why the conversation he had overheard was still bothering him…


	2. Fights and Resolutions

Gossip

Kakashi dragged himself past the thresh hold of his front door and shut it heavily behind him. No sooner had he turned the lock in the door he began stripping off his Jounin vest and long sleeve shirt, along with his sandals, various kunai holders and finally the hip pouch he never went anywhere without.

He extracted the adult novel from his pouch before tossing the canvas bag aside with the rest of his discarded gear before settling down on his bed in nothing but his simple black pants.

The day which had started out so good had quickly become a trying one. As he had predicted, Tsunade had given him an earful when he had come in so late, and what was meant to be a short debriefing had extended into a longer tongue lashing.

If that wasn't bad enough, the honey eyed Hokage had sent him over to the academy, claiming that they were short handed that day and since he obviously didn't have anything better to do, his assistance would be much appreciated.

The smug look on her face as Kakashi left the room told him that her words were all bullshit and she was simply punishing him for his tardiness, but in all fairness, he really didn't think the punishment was equivalent to the crime. He's been assigned a group of youngsters who hadn't even graduated to Gennin class yet and after six hours of breaking up fights, wiping noses, and yelling at the kids to throw kunai at the targets and not the neighborhood cat, the famed Copy Nin really felt as if he truly might be getting too old for this profession. It was like running a daycare for a bunch of Narutos when the Kyuubi container had first come under his instruction. Kakashi closed his eyes and sighed. He didn't know how Iruka managed to do it day after day.

The elite shinobi turned babysitter flipped open Icha Icha from where he had left off, preparing to unwind with his favorite past time when the conversation he had overheard popped into his head unbidden.

Growling in frustration he shook his head as if physically trying to clear away the annoying voice that accused him of being nothing more than a dirty and lonely old man.

He tried to loose himself in the story, a task that was usually completely effortless, but this time, he was too preoccupied to enjoy the plot properly, sometimes scanning an entire page before realizing he hadn't digested any of it at all.

Finally, he gave up in disgust, tossing the book aside and flopping back down, letting his head sink into his pillow. Why the hell was that obnoxious little stick figure getting to him like this? It's not like she had any facts backing up her opinions and it wasn't like a large group of people shared her feelings on the subject. She was just one gossiping girl with too much free time to speculate about the lives of others. Yeah, that's it, no reason to feel threatened at all.

But even as Kakashi lay on his bed staring at the ceiling, trying to convince himself that he didn't give a damn about what Sakura's airhead friend thought, he knew he was already much more troubled than he would like to admit, the evidence apparent in the fact that not even Icha Icha could settle his mind this particular night.

Whether she meant to or not, the pony tailed woman had insulted his very manhood, claiming that he could do no better than the females in his stories. Kakashi wasn't going to lie, sometimes he DID prefer books to the real thing. There was no commitment, no crushing of hearts and no morning afters. However, if Kakashi wanted the real thing he could sure as hell get it anytime he wanted no matter what that blonde little brat thought.

Kakashi glanced forlornly at his abandoned book, angered that Ino had stolen his greatest pleasure from him, at least for the night. When Icha Icha brought no joy, it was time to call it a night. Kakashi stood up and walked to the bathroom, grabbing his toothbrush and confronting himself in the mirror.

He wasn't THAT old now was he? Teaching Team 7 had made him feel old, the constant presence of youth reminding him just how long ago he had been in their shoes. The day of working at the academy had done the same. As he rinsed his mouth, he met his own pair of mismatched eyes in the mirror and made a solemn promise. Tomorrow night, he would go to the local bar and pick up a beautiful woman and prove to himself and the world that he was quite capable of handling the female species after all. It had been some time since he had felt the warmth of another body beside him and he looked forward to the feel of her skin, as well as the affirmation of his manhood.

Making his way back to his bed, Kakashi pulled back his shuriken covered sheets and climbed in between them wearily. With a click of the lamp, the room was plunged into total darkness and sleep was mercifully quick to follow. His dreams that night were empty, devoid of misbehaving children, bossy blondes and orange jacketed romance novels.

XXXXX

"Kakashi sensei!"

The silver haired man turned to find his former student approaching, her small hand waving a greeting and a smile on her lips.

"Why do you insist on calling me 'sensei' Sakura?" He responded, pausing in his morning training. "I haven't been your teacher for years."

"Because I know it makes you feel old."

Kakashi rolled his visible eye before asking "What brings you out here so early?"

"I have the day off from the hospital today so I thought I'd do some training to keep in shape." The kunoichi explained. "If you're still using this area I can find somewhere else, that is, unless you would like to spar…"

Her voice didn't go up at the end like a question, but left him hanging. It was more like she had challenged him and was waiting to see if he would accept. Her eyebrow quirked upwards and a small smirk graced her mouth. She had acquired a great deal more confidence since she had first come to him all those years ago. He suspected Tsunade had something to do with that.

Kakashi remembered all too well the last time he had fought against the pink haired woman, and even though she had teamed up with Naruto to take him on, the Copy Ninja had not been prepared for the power she had come to possess. In the end, he had lost, only because the rambunctious blonde had used a dirty trick of trying to spoil the ending of the current Icha Icha he was reading, and had grabbed the bells dangling from his pants while his hands were occupied in covering his ears.

This time would be different however. He would not be caught off guard by her incredible strength.

"Of course Sakura-chan." He said, giving her an eye crease before sinking into a fighting stance. Sakura tugged small black gloves onto her hands before mirroring him in a similar position.

For a breathless minute there was utter stillness as one fighter sized up the other. Even the wind seemed to still for a moment. Sakura finally blinked and when her eyes opened again Kakashi had disappeared leaving a puff of smoke in his wake.

"Using the same trick twice Kakashi sensei?" she called, remembering he had started their last fight the same way.

The kunoichi let her eyes slide to the right and the left, determining that her opponent was on neither side of her. She glanced over her shoulder and looked to the sky. Nothing. Was he really going to be so predictable? It was almost as if he was mocking her. Well if that's the way he wanted to play, fine.

Turning with a smile, she powered up her fist with all the chakra it would hold and slammed it into the ground, sending chunks of dirt and rock flying as the earthen floor fragmented like broken glass.

Sakura expected to find her former sensei hidden among the shattered earth but to her surprise there was no one there.

Suddenly a hand clamped around her leg and pulled her down sharply, trapping her in the rubble she had just created. She found her self up to her neck in earth, staring at the Copy nin and as he stood smirking above her.

"You thought you had me all figured out did you?" he chuckled as she struggled to free herself from the ground. "You underestimate me Sakura."

"I think I could say the same thing about you." The pink haired woman smiled before a puff of smoke encircled her, leaving behind a log where her body used to be.

"Clever." Kakashi muttered, instantly alert searching the training grounds for her chakra signature. "It seems you have other weapons in your arsenal besides Icha Icha spoilers."

XXXXX

Four hours later after much sweating, cursing and scheming, Kakashi had finally subdued his vivacious student, forcing her to her knees while standing behind her, keeping her arms pinned tightly behind her back with one hand and holding a kunai to her throat with the other.

"I believe this constitutes a win in my favor." Kakashi chucked in her ear, the razor edge of the kunai barely grazing her flesh.

Sakura sighed wearily. "And I was so sure I had you. Well, I guess that makes even then."

The older man released her and tucked his weapon back in its holster, immediately withdrawing his favorite book from his hip pouch. He retreated a few steps to the shade of a large tree and sat down, his back leaning against its trunk.

"You know," Sakura said as she adjusted her skirt and brushed dirt from her clothing. "People are going to think you're a dirty old man if you don't put down those books."

Kakashi visibly stiffened at her words. Up until now he had managed to keep from thinking about yesterday's events and the jabs made at him and his preferred literature but with the kunoichi's playful words, the memory came rushing back.

"Yes, I called you old, sensei." Sakura giggled, misreading his rigid posture as a reaction to the remark about his age, not his smut fetish. "But I guess you're not over the hill yet if I still can't keep up with you. You better watch out though because next time we spar, I'm going to win!"

Kakashi forced himself to relax and gave a soft "Hmm." as he tried to get back to his story.

Sakura glanced at the sky and made note of the sun's position to check the time.

"I'd better be going. I told Ino I'd meet her for lunch since she has another hospital shift today. Thanks for the great match!"

As Sakura turned on her heel and jogged away, Kakashi tried to unclench his jaw and force himself to calm down. Sakura's comment had been innocent, just another one of her harmless little jibes that she always threw his way. Then why was he taking it so personally? And why did just the mention of Ino's name make him feel like punching something?

He had never really been introduced to the blonde girl but he had heard Azuma talk about her when he shared stories of his Gennin team when the instructors got together at the bar every now and then. From what he had heard, he did not envy his comrade for being forced to instruct the loudmouthed long haired woman who seemed just as love struck as Sakura had been over the same boy. From what he had seen of her now, his opinion of her hadn't improved any.

Kakashi realized he was fisting his hands and forced them to relax before he did any permanent damage to his book. To hell with Ino and to hell with being considered a dirty old man. He wasn't old and he wasn't THAT dirty and he certainly wasn't incapable of snagging a woman when he put his mind to it.

His reading spoiled once again, the shinobi closed his book with a snap and stood, replacing the novel in its pouch and jamming his hands into his pockets as he walked away.

Today had started out pretty good, but now that he couldn't get Ino's annoying voice out of his head the sunshine in his world seemed to fade as it was blocked out by rain clouds, clouds that looked like a certain gossiping female.


	3. Secrets and Dark Hallways

Gossip

Kakashi embraced the familiar scents of stale cigarette smoke and liquor as he entered the bar. Konoha had several such establishments but this particular place was the one the village shinobi seemed to flock to. It was also the one in which women looking to bed a shinobi came.

Usually Kakashi's sole purpose for coming here was to knock a few back with friends and unwind, but tonight, he had a different goal in mind. He had even gone so far as to abandon his usual uniform for a form fitting long sleeved shirt made from a slinky black material and some nicer pants of a similar color. His mask was firmly in place of course but that never seemed to be a problem when searching for woman. To the contrary, they seemed mystified by it and sought to find out exactly what lay beneath it, a curiosity that often led them straight to his bedroom.

The elite ninja scanned the crowds and was pleased to see that none of his close friends were present. When he picked up women in bars, it was usually outside of Konoha. That eliminated a lot of future problems when said woman decided she wanted more from him than just a roll in the sheets. However, gossiping words had motivated him to try his luck on the home front, so he casually walked to the bar and took the first unoccupied seat.

Kakashi's eyes roamed over the crowds again and found very few people he knew. While there was nothing wrong with picking up a woman, he preferred not to do it under his friends' scrutiny. Unfortunately for him, single and attractive woman seemed to be in short supply as well.

The Copy Nin ordered himself a drink while he people watched casually. The night was still young. There was still plenty of time for his woman to make an appearance. Maybe he would get lucky and she would be a visitor from another village. The fewer ties he would have to her later, the better.

XXXXX

Kakashi had just finished his fourth drink and still no candidates had appeared. The only women to show up either had dates or had reputations for being walking venereal diseases and Kakashi was in no mood to play Russian roulette. He was considering accepting defeat and going home when he heard feminine giggles coming from the doorway.

Kakashi swiveled a little on his stool, keeping the bar's entry in his peripheral vision so it wouldn't look like he was staring. However his view was interrupted by a portly gentleman who had decided to converse with a friend in the middle of the room, effectively blocking out everything between Kakashi and the door.

The shinobi cursed under his breath and tried to nonchalantly reposition himself for a better view without being too obvious. He was able to glimpse a black sandled foot with purple painted toenails that was attached to a long, shapely leg. The foot wear looked like it might be shinobi regulation so he could only guess it was a kunoichi, and judging by the muscle definition her calf, a very fit one at that.

He was waiting for the rest of her body to come into view when a hand clapped him heavily on the shoulder.

"Kakashi, I didn't expect to see you here."

The mask wearing man turned his head to nearly have his visible eye poked out by the long senbon protruding from his friend's mouth.

"Hello Genma, I guess I can't really say the same for you. If you don't already have a date, you're here trying to get one."

Genma gave a feral smile around the piece of metal between his teeth.

"Hey, I'm just here people watching and having a few drinks while I'm at it, but you…"

"What about me?" Kakashi growled, trying to locate the owner of the purple toenails in the crowd.

Genma's smile faded as he looked over Kakashi seriously.

"Word has been going around that you don't care much for women these days, that those books of yours seem to be enough."

"What?!" Kakashi exclaimed, snapping his attention back to the man as he took a seat on the stool next to him. "Where did you hear that?"

"That's the rumor going around. Think I heard it when walking through the hospital. It's not true is it? Because I think I'd have to disown you as a friend if you've given up on bedding women."

"Of course it's not true!" the silver haired man hissed, trying to keep his voice down after his outburst even though nobody seemed to notice. "Why do you think I'm here you idiot?"

Kakashi had a pretty good idea of where that particular rumor had originated from and tried to reel in the urge of stalking off to hunt her down so he could strangle her. Instead, he finished his current drink in one swallow and fixed his visible eye on Genma.

"I came here look looking for company but it seems the pickings tonight are rather slim."

The senbon sucker let his eyes sweep over the crowd before fixating on a woman in the corner.

With a grin he said, "Well, Sakura is here. If you get too desperate, you could always ask her to help you out."

Kakashi followed his friend's gaze and sure enough, there she was, still in her red top and pale pink skirt. The Copy Nin frowned. When had SHE gotten here? He was surprised he had missed her entrance. From her animated hand gestures it was clear she was talking to someone but from Kakashi's viewpoint, he couldn't see who it was.

"Genma, you are gravely mistaking if you think I'm dumb or desperate enough to try and start relations with my former student."

The brown haired man shrugged.

"I would go proposition her myself but last time I asked, she gave me a punch to my face that nearly knocked my teeth out. Although if you think about it, a woman like that has GOT to be wild in bed, don't you think?

"You're disgusting." Was all Kakashi said before standing up. All the alcohol he had consumed had made its way through his system to his bladder.

"Hey where are you going?" Genma practically whined.

"To piss."

Kakashi didn't even glance back at his friend as he made his way through the masses to the dark hallway at the far side of the bar. The corridor made a sharp right turn and a single door was located at the end.

Thankfully, the single toilet was unoccupied and Kakashi went about his business, Genma's words repeating in his head.

So the loudmouthed blonde had started spreading rumors about him had she? In a way Kakashi wasn't surprised. Ino had been the strongest link in the gossip chain while working at her family's flower shop. It was only natural she would continue at the hospital. Still it angered him that the two of them had barely spoken and yet she thought she could make such presumptuous deductions about his sex life…or lack there of.

Kakashi cranked on the water viciously and washed his hands.

Why was he letting such a silly thing get under his skin? Ino was no threat. She was just a stupid girl with too much time on her hands.

That didn't stop the fact that if he saw her on the street he'd be too glad to throttle her.

Switching off the light, Kakashi made his way back down the hall, hands stuffed in his pockets, back hunched, staring at the floor. He was so busy brooding that his guard dropped momentarily, just long enough for him to crash into a woman coming form the opposite direction.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I wasn't paying attention."

"No, it's my fault. I was…"

Her voice trailed off as their eyes met and they realized just who it was they had run into.

Kakashi's eye narrowed as he took in long blonde hair, purple material and aquamarine eyes.

"Ino." He said tightly, his hands clenching into fists in his pockets.

"Kakashi sensei." She said with a smile too sweet to be genuine.

For a moment, a fleeting thought passed through the older man's head about what it would be like to deck her and wipe that fake smile right off her face. Instead he just gave her a short nod.

"Here with Sakura I presume?"

"Yeah, I managed to drag her here and away from all those stupid medical books." She said, tossing her head to move a stray piece of pale hair from her eyes.

Kakashi absently wondered how she managed to keep smelling like flowers even when she spent her whole day in a facility that reeked of antiseptic but before he could dwell on the thought, he pushed it away.

"And what about YOU Kakashi sensei? Why are you here?"

"Kakashi will suffice. I was never your sensei." He replied a little harsher than he meant to and immediately berated himself for letting this woman get under her skin. He took a moment to calm himself and continued.

"I would think it would be obvious to you why any single man comes to a bar Ino. Surely I don't have to explain that."

The shinobi side stepped around the petite kunoichi and began walking back to the main room. He had only taken a step or two when her voice reached his ears, her smugness hardly containable.

"Well from what I hear, a library would be better suited for YOUR tastes."

Kakashi slowly turned around, fixing the pretty little blonde with his one-eyed stare. His voice was dangerously low when he spoke.

"And what is THAT supposed to mean? Or maybe you'd like to make up a rumor to answer that as well."

Ino met his gaze evenly. The blonde kunoichi had secretly been fascinated with her best friend's sensei for some time. She didn't harbor sexual feelings or even a mild attraction towards the older man, just a burning curiosity to find out what was under the mask and in his head. Even Sakura admitted that she knew very little about her teacher, despite all the years they had spent together and the purple clad ninja had taken it upon herself to make his business her business. She couldn't help but speculate as to why he always had a little orange book in hand and apparently her theories had gotten back to the masked man. She wasn't sure how he had traced them to her but figured an elite ninja would have his ways. Now that she had his attention, she figured she might as well tease him a little and try to get a rise out of him. After all her years under Azuma's tutelage, she had learned a thing or two about dealing with older men.

She crossed her arms over her bosom, ignoring his accusations completely, sitting into her right hip and unintentionally presenting her straitened left leg, the bare skin interrupted only by the band of opaque fishnet that covered from lower thigh to upper calf and her ankle high sandals.

Kakashi found his eyes roaming her flesh without his permission, taking in the shapely leg from her hip all the way down to painted purple toenails.

At this discovery, the shinobi had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from cursing. So it was HER leg he had been ogling when she walked in, that he was ogling now. Although he had to admit, Sakura's obnoxious friend was nicely put together. Her hips were softly curving, her waist narrow, her bust generous and her face resembled that of a model's, if it weren't for the cunning and calculating eyes. Hell, Kakashi might have even found her good-looking until she opened her mouth. Her haughty attitude and self assured voice grated on his nerves and shattered any thoughts of attraction the Copy nin might have had as she responded to him.

"Well, word on the street is that you don't do so well with women and prefer books to keep you company.

Kakashi felt his jaw clench in anger. The only reason the word was on the street in the first place was because it had originally come from her mouth! He stared intensely into her teal eyes and took one slow, deliberate step towards her, followed by another.

"And why would you think that?" he said, his voice still dangerously low.

"It's logical I guess." Ino said, trying to keep up a brave front even though she felt a little intimidated by the tall shinobi looming over her. He added another couple inches to his height when he actually stood up straight. "Most people in Konoha have never seen you with a real woman before, but hardly a day goes by when you aren't walking around in public with a dirty romance novel in your hand."

Ino could see Kakashi's eye had hardened, the obsidian orb fixated on her. The intensity of his stare was starting to make her uncomfortable but her pride refused to acknowledge that she was in over her head.

"Countless events go on every day without you being aware of it Ino." The shinobi answered, looking down at her petite form. "Just because you don't know about it doesn't mean it never happened."

Even in the face of one of Konoha's deadliest ninjas, the blonde couldn't suppress a smirk, or the smartass reply that followed it.

"Maybe so, but in this case, I think I'm correct in saying you haven't been able to snag a woman for quite some time."

With that, Ino turned on her heel and continued down the hall towards her original destination of the bathroom, ensuring that she would be the one to have the last word. Kakashi stared after her, momentarily in shock at her boldness but the next words she mumbled under her breath snapped him out of it.

"Even if you DID find a woman, you probably wouldn't know what to do with her."

Without thinking, Kakashi stepped forward, grabbed her roughly by the wrist and pulled her around until her back hit the wall, instantly pressing in to close the space between them.

The older man looked down and was pleased to find Ino's eyes were wide with surprise. If she thought he was going to let her get away with that jab, she had better think again.

"Would you care to repeat that?" he growled, planting a hand firmly on the wall on either side of her head, effectively caging her in.

"W-what are you talking about?"

The kunoichi was caught off guard by suddenly being flat against the wall. Kakashi was so close she could feel the heat radiating off the older man's body.

"I have better hearing than you would like to think Ino. Take back what you said."

The elite Jounin found himself staring at her parted pink lips. The looked so full and soft and he could feel her lithe body trapped between his own and the wall. If he moved just a little closer, they would be touching, her chest pressed to his.

Even though he knew these were the last thoughts he should be having, he couldn't drag his gaze away from her lips as she replied.

"Why should I? It's true isn't it? I wouldn't be surprised if the only experience you have with women is what you read in those stupid books. Not all woman fall to pieces the second a man touches them. Sometimes it actually requires skill and—"

Kakashi had had enough, enough of her attitude, enough of her voice, and enough of watching those pale pink lips without tasting them. Without thinking, he tore down his mask and pressed his lips to hers in a kiss that was almost bruising, effectively silencing her mid sentence and putting an end to both her attitude and her babbling.

Ino was too shocked to even move. Her entire body was pressed harder against the wall as his body molded to hers. His skin was hot and there was a scent about him reminded her of pine and earth and wind, a smell that was masculine and not at all unpleasant, especially in comparison to her own sensei who had smelled of nothing but cigarette smoke.

Despite the mind numbing sensation of his lips crushed to hers, the blonde medic managed to regain enough of her senses to plant her hands on his chest and try and push him away. It was true she usually went for older, more mature men but there was no way in hell she was going to get involved with Kakashi.

The Copy Nin felt her feeble attempts at escape but had no intentions of letting her go so easy. As he ran his tongue along the seam of her lips, he brought a knee up and pressed against the juncture of her legs smirking at the gasp it earned him.

Instantly he pushed his tongue into her mouth as her lips parted and began to explore every inch of her, even as she remained unresponsive. He dragged his tongue over her teeth and along the roof of her mouth, and even stroked her stationary tongue with his own, taking in the sweet taste of her as he continued to rhythmically rub her core with his knee.

Ino was by no means inexperienced, but she had never before felt like she did now. Her head was spinning as he assaulted her mouth, plundering her with his tongue as he ground his knee against he most sensitive place. A whimper escaped her as she felt her center turn liquid and molten as she responded to his touches, the hands on his chest fisting in his shirt helplessly, no longer pushing him away.

The scent of flowers once again permeated Kakashi's nostrils. Her sweet scent and taste were intoxicating and what had started out as a plan to both shut her up and prove her theory wrong had quickly turned into something else entirely. Her supple body called to him and he had half a mind to drag her down the hall and into the bathroom so he could show her just how wrong she had been in assuming he was incompetent when it came to women. He was just about to pull away and proposition her when a voice called out from around the corner.

"Ino? Ino are you back here?"

Cursing, Kakashi pulled away and jerked his mask up over his nose just before Sakura appeared around the corner.

"Ino! There you are! I've been looking all over for—oh! Hey Kakashi sensei. I didn't know you were here. Um…what are you doing with Ino?"

Her friend was still pressed against the wall and it was only by sheer will power alone that she was able to keep herself upright. The searing kiss had left her legs feeling like jelly and it took all her concentration to force herself to breathe steadily and not in ragged little gasps.

"It appears your friend has a low tolerance for alcohol. I was coming back from the bathroom and found her looking a little woozy. I just wanted to make sure she was all right."

Sakura's brow furrowed as she looked at her teal eyed friend.

"Really? I never knew you were such a lightweight. Are you ok now?"

Ino nodded breathlessly, praising the gods above that Kakashi was so good at making up stories. She knew if Sakura found out about what had just transpired between the two of them, the blonde would never live it down.

The Copy Nin watched the pair of medic ninjas disappear around the corner before pinching the bridge of his nose to keep himself from beating his head against the wall. What the hell was wrong with him?! The consequences if they had been caught were not to be taken lightly. His reputation as well as the respect of the village would have sustained incredible damage if word got out that he had hooked up with someone over a decade younger. The fact that she was a close friend of his former student and he was going to seduce her in a bar bathroom was even worse. How could he have let himself do something so stupid?

Kakashi decided he had better get the hell out of the bar before he did something else equally idiotic.

Walking back into the chaos of smoke and alcohol, he made a beeline for the door. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that Genma had managed to lure one of the supposedly disease carrying women he had seen earlier and was currently trying to seduce her. Kakashi smirked at the stupid move until he realized that even THAT would have been better than hooking up with his student's best friend in the hallway.

The shinobi emerged into the cool night, hoping the clear air would filter into his brain and clear his head. Yet as he walked back to his apartment, serenaded by crickets and cicadas, his mind grew more and more jumbled with every step he took, all thanks to a certain kunoichi with purple toenails.


	4. Troubled Minds and Trembling Fingers

I do not own Naruto.

XXXXX

Gossip

Kakashi stalked down the darkened streets of Konoha, his long strides much more hurried than usual.

Stupid stupid STUPID! How could he have let himself fall apart like that? He was a hardened shinobi, both experienced and skilled, and yet that didn't seem to stop him from lusting over a teenage girl.

His silver head bowed, staring at his own two feet as he made his way back his apartment. Yes, he HAD been lusting over her, as much as he hated to admit it. Hell, he had been ready to hike up that purple skirt of hers and screw her on the spot. Kakashi didn't know what had come over him. One minute, he was irate, pissed that she had the nerve to spread rumors and then taunt him and the next, he could think of nothing else but tasting her, touching her, making her eat those words she had said as she moaned his name.

The only explanation he could think of for his behavior is that he had wanted to prove her theories wrong and had just gotten carried away. He was a hot-blooded man after all, a man who hadn't bedded a woman in some time and was eager to feel feminine flesh under his fingers once more. However, no matter how desperate he was, he would not let that flesh be Ino's.

If Sakura found out, she would probably be livid. The two of them had been friends since childhood and even though he heard their relationship had been rocky for a while on account of Sasuke, they had grown quite close ever since Ino had asked for medical training. She probably would never forgive him for putting the moves on her friend, even if Ino wasn't exactly innocent. The blonde DID read Icha Icha after all.

That thought gave way to another. Just how experienced WAS the purple clad kunoichi? How many men had been given the privilege of touching that silky skin, of seeing that body in its entirety?

Kakashi growled and pushed the image from his mind. The tent in his pants that had finally started to subside was back with a vengeance thanks to his overactive imagination. This could not continue. He had to stop thinking about Ino in such a way. Up until tonight, he had viewed her as nothing more than an annoying, gossiping girl who just happened to share his profession, and that's the way he would view her the next time he saw her, nothing more, nothing less. Things would go back to the way they used to be and all this nonsense would pass.

As Kakashi reached his door however, he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach as the realization came that no matter how much he tried to reason away what had happened, it didn't change the fact that he could still taste her on his lips, or that he desperately wanted more of it, despite what his logical side said.

The Copy Nin entered his home and pulled his shirt over his head, tossing it a corner. He was going straight to bed and hopefully sleep would take him to a place where he wouldn't have to see, hear, smell, taste or even think about the opposite sex.

XXXXX

Ino was distracted and she knew it, yet she couldn't get herself to focus. Ever since Sakura had found her in the hallway she had been acting like a space case. Fortunately, Kakashi's story enabled her to play it off as having too much to drink and Sakura didn't seem suspicious and didn't question her further.

After another hour, Ino admitted she would like to go home and they left the noisy bar. The blonde felt a little guilty that it had been her idea to go out in the first place and now they were calling it an early night on her account. If Sakura minded, she didn't say anything and chatted casually as they walked to her apartment, which was closer to the bar than Ino's. The teal eyed ninja tried to remain responsive but her mind was in such a whirlwind that sometimes she zoned out as she tuned into her own internal thoughts.

"Hey pig, are you even listening?"

"Huh?" she said, snapping herself out of her trace yet again.

"I said we're here at my house. Are you sure you don't want to spend the night? You've been acting weird and you still have a ways to go before you get home."

"I'm fine." Ino lied, waving a hand dismissively. "It's only a couple more blocks. But thanks for the offer."

Sakura stared at her hard for a moment, as if she was trying to see inside her head and read her thoughts, but then she nodded her approval and dug out her keys.

"Alright then, but take care of yourself ok? I'll see you in the morning."

Ino waved a farewell as her pink hared friend disappeared into her house, leaving her alone on the street as she began to head towards her own home.

In all honesty, she didn't know what to make of the night's events. What had started out as innocent speculation had turned into a game of teasing the Copy ninja. Yet somehow, the rules of the game had changed without her consent and she found herself realizing she had definitely been very wrong in her assessment of Sakura's former sensei.

All they had shared was a kiss, but no kiss she had ever had had left her feeling so weak, yet hungry. Her whole body had felt like it was on fire, like the blood in her veins was boiling. Yes, Kakashi most certainly knew how to handle a woman and oddly enough, she found herself hoping that maybe, he would choose to handle HER more extensively in the near future.

Ino blushed at the thought as soon as it entered her mind. It was wrong! So incredibly wrong! She couldn't sleep with her best friend's teacher. That was beyond scandalous and while Konoha wasn't a tiny village, it wasn't so big that an affair like that would go unnoticed, unless they were incredibly sneaky about it.

On the other hand, a secret affair sounded thrilling, and there was little in this world that could thrill the kunoichi outside of the missions she was sent on. And Kakashi was already so mysterious. How hard would it be to meet up in the middle of the night and—

Ino cut her own train of thought short. She was NOT going to contemplate this scenario any longer. What had happened between her and the masked Jounin was unexpected and she didn't entirely understand his thinking, but this is where it ended. If word got around that he was romantically involved with the lifelong friend of his former student, it certainly wouldn't look good for either of them.

By now, Ino had reached the steps of her house and she eased her key into the lock. Upon entering, she heard her father's heavy snoring from the back of the house. Despite his proficient abilities as ninja, he could sleep like the dead when in a place he felt was secure. She could have slammed the front door shut and he probably would have continued slumbering unawares.

She headed to her room and closed the door behind her, unstrapping the kunai holster around her thigh and tossing it to the floor. Next came the fishnet arm and leg bands, and then her skirt. As she stripped, she moved toward the bathroom, leaving a trail of clothing in her wake. She cranked on the hot water in the sink and grabbed a washcloth from the cabinet behind her before beginning to scrub her face a little more vigorously than usual, dragging the cloth over her lips repeatedly as if she was trying to scrub away the memory of their heated kiss.

That tactic obviously was not working because once again, the silver haired man entered her thoughts. He had kissed her, his lips had been pressed to her, his mask pulled down around his neck, and yet she STILL hadn't seen his face. Life was so incredibly unfair sometimes, although it wouldn't have been half as fun to see what he looked like under that black fabric since she obviously couldn't gloat to Sakura that she had seen his entire face before the pink haired kunoichi had.

Tossing the wet rag over the towel rack to dry, Ino retuned to her room and kicked the clothing on the floor into some semblance of a pile. She unbuttoned and shrugged out of her purple top and peeled away her fishnet shorts, adding them to the growing heap of garments and finally pulled back the sheets to flop onto her bed tiredly, clad only in black panties and her linen bindings.

She reached over to switch off the light and blindly fumbled for the edge of the covers, pulling them up over her shoulders as she rolled onto her side.

What a day it had been! Not only had she spent another grueling day filling her brain with medical knowledge, but she had used up a significant amount of emotional energy just trying to convince Sakura that she needed more in her life than medical journals and patients. And if that hadn't been enough, when they finally did get out, she found herself sharing a smoldering kiss with a man she had hardly spoken more than a few sentences to the entire time she had known him.

Kakashi…again her thoughts had returned to him. It seemed no matter how many times she tried to push him from her mind, he always found a way to worm his way back into her thoughts.

Why had he kissed her? Was it really just to prove to her that he was just as proficient with women as the hero in his books? Ino didn't think so. The heat and intensity that had flowed from him as he pressed her against the wall seemed a little too passionate for a ruse that was simply to teach her a lesson, but then again, perhaps that was the point.

Once again the scene played over in her mind. She recalled his strong grip on her wrist as he yanked her to him, his hot breath as it fanned over her ear, the liquid pulse in her center as his knee ground against her…

Ino sighed in frustration, tossing her covers off irritably and rolling onto her back. Her body was exhausted but her mind was racing and seemed to want to focus only on thoughts of Kakashi and his burning touch.

Her body still craved his touch and she wondered what would have transpired if Sakura hadn't interrupted them. Would he have ended their encounter with a kiss, or would he have risked exploring her body further?

The blonde shivered at the mere thought of it, of his fingers trailing liquid fire all over her skin, of his lips on her throat and her stomach and something other than his knee touching the apex of her legs.

Without even realizing it, Ino began running her own fingers over her stomach and bound breasts, her eyes drifting shut as she imagined it was the silver haired shinobi who was touching her.

Her nipples immediately tightened, straining against the cloth covering them as she imagined Kakashi walking through the doorway it this very moment and seeing her spread out on her bed, waiting for him to take her.

In her mind's eye, the scene played out.

_His visible eye was burning with lust as he stood over her, drinking in the sight of her in minimal clothing. He stripped away his shirt and his mask, revealing musculature and a face that she had yet to see, but in her world they were both divine. He was handsome and the picture of masculinity as he placed one knee on the bed and sunk down slowly, never looking away from her as crawled over her prone form._

_No words were needed as Kakashi hovered above her. Both knew what the other was thinking as they looked into each other's eyes for a breathless moment._

_And then he was upon her, his lips crashing down over hers, claiming her roughly as his tongue pushed past her parted lips. He was strong and domineering, just as he had been in the hallway, and Ino could do little but succumb to him completely, something that she didn't willingly do very often._

_His hands moved to her bound breasts, cupping them in strong calloused hands. His thumbs brushed over her nipples until they were hard enough to be clearly visibly even though all the layers of fabric covering them._

_When he finally broke the kiss, allowing her to take a breath, he pinched the hardened nubs between his fingers, plucking them, pulling them, delighting in the little gasps his touches produced._

In the darkness of her bedroom, Ino's fingers were teasing her own nipples, rubbing them through the linen until they were sensitive enough that every touch sent pleasure pulsing straight to her core. She could feel the moisture already gathering there as she continued to play with her breasts, and let one hand slowly descend, feathering slowly over her stomach as she pictured Kakashi's fingers on her skin as he traveled the same path.

_She couldn't help but whimper softly as his hand splayed over her hip, tracing the curve there until he came to the waistband of her black bikini cut panties. He let his fingers run over the silky material, feeling the muscles beneath jump at his touch._

_He let his eyes lift from her stomach and focus on her face once more and Ino was captivated by the Sharingan that greeted her. Although inactivated, it was still mesmerizing, especially since he always had it covered._

_He held her gaze as his fingers slipped beneath her panties and began to tangle in the soft blonde curls surrounding her sex. Ino could only squirm and whimper as he teased her mercilessly. The smallest touches sent pleasure shooting through her and yet she wanted more, wanting him to touch the throbbing liquid monster that he had awoken in her._

_Kakashi complied with her unspoken demands and kept his hand in her panties, even as he moved back up her body so they were nose to nose._

_She was staring deeply into those mismatched eyes when she felt his finger suddenly slip between her soaking folds, rubbing up and down and coating his digit with her desire. He watched her reaction as he began to pump in and out of her slowly, making sure to angle his finger to explore every inch of her pulsating insides._

Ino continued to explore her own body as her fantasy continued, her own fingers tickling blonde pubic hair as she imagined it was the Copy Nin doing so. When at last she allowed herself the pleasure of inserting a single finger into her soaking womanhood, her back arched and her hips bucked in response to her own ministrations. She could hear her breathing quicken, sounding harsh to her own ears as she slid the digit in and out of her slick canal, feeling her muscles grip and tighten around her with every stroke.

She was so into her fantasy and the pleasure she wrought upon her own body that she wasn't even aware of the words that escaped her lips.

"More, Kakashi sensei."

_The shinobi smirked at her breathless plea before silencing her with another searing kiss. When their lips finally parted, he continued back down her body, licking and nipping where ever he saw fit. When he finally reached the place where his finger was wedged deep inside her, he leaned in and gave the small pearl above his pistoning digit a lick._

_Ino immediately fell apart in a fit of trembling as he continued to let his tongue circle her clit, her juices flowing freely now and lubricating her passage so he could insert another finger. She moaned at the feeling of being filled more completely and began to thrust her hips up to meet his invading fingers, encouraging him to quicken his pace._

_His tongue continued to work over her and Ino could feel a tightness forming low in her abdomen. The combined sensations of his tongue and fingers were making her so hot she thought she might burn up. He was aggressive and domineering yet gentle enough to make sure everything he did brought her pleasure. She moaned softly…_

…as her own two fingers continued to pump rhythmically, the wet noises of her aroused body clearly audible in the silence of her room. Her free had had found its way to her clit and was rubbing vigorously as she felt herself move closer and closer to release. Never had masturbation brought her so much pleasure, but then again, never had she fantasized so vividly about a man. She writhed against the sheets as she felt a burst of pleasure wash over her so intense that colors flashed briefly behind her eyes.

_Ino felt her release coming and apparently Kakashi could too. He redoubled his efforts, sucking her swollen bud even harder and pushing his fingers into her deeper. She could no longer hold out and felt herself tumble headlong into the heavenly abyss of orgasm with a strangled moan._

_She heard Kakashi growl against her skin as her inner muscles rippled around him but she was too far gone to do anything but shiver helplessly as she came down from her high._

She lay panting on the bed, sheets now covered in her sweat and orgasmic juices. She whimpered as she withdrew her fingers from her sex and could see them glisten in the faint light.

As she leaned over the side of her bed to grab a tissue, she was sure of one thing. She would find a way to make this fantasy a reality even if this man was her best friend's former teacher, even if any sexual relationship between them was taboo. Despite his anger at her for making up rumors, she would find a way to amend things between them. Then, without anyone else knowing, she would seduce Kakashi Hatake.


	5. Of Sunshine and Seduction

I do not own Naruto.

XXXXX

Gossip

Kakashi leaned comfortably up against the trunk of one of the many trees surrounding the training ground. Having finished his early work out, he was content to just soak up the mid morning sun as he relaxed with a good book.

The current novel was a favorite and one he had read many times. The worn and dog eared pages were a testament to how many times he had thumbed through the book. The silver haired shinobi guessed he'd eventually have to break down and buy a new copy when the spine became so damaged that the pages would begin to fall out, a fate that most of his Icha Icha collection would one day face.

Today's story featured the hero matching wits against the henchwoman of the evil feudal lord he had been sent to destroy. The woman thought she could use her wiles to twist his mind and confuse him into walking into a trap, but he saw right through her as if she were transparent as glass and used his own tactics to spoil her plans. Those tactics, of course, included seduction.

With a few suggestive words and well placed touches, he had the buxom beauty quivering under him as he ran his fingers through her long blonde ponytail and began divesting her of her clothing.

Kakashi envisioned the scene in his mind; pale skin contrasting sharply against the crimson sheets of her bed chamber, hair splayed around her head like a glowing halo and turquoise eyes wide and hazy with lust. Come to think of it, the woman in the book strongly resembled someone he knew, someone he had been kissing in a bar last night…

The Copy Nin lifted his shoulders slightly, literally shrugging off thoughts of the young kunoichi. As pleasant as it had been to taste that sweet mouth of hers and to leave her totally breathless, he had already decided that he was not going to get involved with her again, no matter what his hormones tried to tell him otherwise.

A soft breeze began to blow, carrying with it the delicate scent of flowers. Even her smell seemed to linger in his nostrils. As he breathed deeply of the floral aroma, a vision of the woman popped into his head, covered in the fragrant, delicate blossoms, but unfortunately, nothing more than that, her nipples and sex barely concealed by colorful petals.

Kakashi growled in irritation and returned to his book with renewed determination. He would NOT fantasize about Sakura's friend and that was that.

However, the delicious smell of Spring blossoms persisted and the Jounin began to wonder if he was starting to go mad when a flicker of motion caught his eye. Directly across from him by the bank of the river stood the very object of his thoughts, her back to him and her long hair flowing behind her as the breeze caught it.

Well, that would explain, the scent of flowers. Kakashi was relieved to know the floral perfume on the wind wasn't entirely his imagination, but he was in no mood to talk to the young kunoichi, especially when his mind kept replacing the characters in his Icha Icha scene with Ino and himself.

The blonde woman seemed oblivious to his presence as she stood by the waters edge, simply enjoying the sunshine and the sound of the water.

She raised both arms above her head and stretched languidly, giving a contented sigh that only barely reached Kakashi's ears from across the training ground.

The Copy Nin's eye remained glued on her, even when the logical side of his brain persisted that he should just go back to his book and ignore her. It's not like she was even doing anything interesting anyway. She was just standing there and—

The small hands that had been stretched in the air separated and lowered, coming to her sides to slowly and sensually run over her curves from armpit to hip and back up again.

Kakashi swallowed hard as he suddenly wished it was his hands running over the swell of her breasts and hips, outlining her hourglass figure.

The thought was brushed aside before it could evolve into a steamy mental image.

Even though it was a warm day, Kakashi was feeling hotter than he should have and decided that now was a perfect time to make an exit for himself. He was about to put away his book and form familiar hand seals when something stopped him. From across the clearing, he heard a noise that sounded like a snap popping open.

His eyes narrowed as he tried to see what exactly was going on, but her back was still to him and her arms were in front of her and out of his sight, working at something.

Another pop, and then another and suddenly, that alluring little half top was sliding slowly down her arms to puddle on the ground in a purple heap, leaving her in the white cloth wrappings that most kunoichi used to bind their breasts.

Kakashi's eye practically bugged out of his head. What the hell was she doing? His mind, temporarily slowed by shock, tried to come up with a reason for her behavior but came up blank. Why could she possibly be taking her top off in the middle of a training ground in broad daylight?

Ino continued whatever she was doing without acknowledging his presence. As a hand slid up the opposite arm and began to pull down the piece of fishnet cloth encircling it, she began to sway her hips slightly, dancing to a beat that only she could hear.

The wind aided in bringing the sounds she was making to Kakashi's ears and he could hear the soft uttering of a song, although he couldn't make out the words. His eyes fixated on the sensual swing of her hips and the way her hand caressed the arm being divested of its armband. Her movements were subtle, and not overtly sexual, but the fact that she was undressing before him sent his mind racing with all kinds of ideas in how he could help her finish her task quicker.

Then the rational side of his mind spoke up, not yet entirely overwhelmed by the vision before him. He should stop her before she went any further or at the very least make her aware of his presence. Or he could just leave all together, and she would never have to know that he had spied on her like a dirty peeping tom.

These were all plans of action that he formulated, and yet, he continued to sit there motionless, his book forgotten in his hands as he watched the blonde kunoichi as if entranced. Her movements were so graceful, her lean body moving fluidly and Kakashi supposed she would have made a superb dancer if she hadn't already dedicated her life to being a Konoha ninja.

The armband slid away and she began to work on the other one, turning her body a bit so the stunned shinobi had a view of her profile. He was greeted with the sight of jutting breasts straining against the linen that bound them and his breath caught in his throat at the thought of his own hands setting them free.

The second piece of netting joined the pile she was making and she turned away from him again. The swishing of her hips had increased as she stretched her now bare arms to the sky once more before letting them tangle in her own hair and pull the band tying it down free.

Kakashi unconsciously licked his lips beneath his mask as long blonde locks whipped in the wind, spreading out like a curtain of pale gold down her back. He had never seen her with her hair down, hell, he had never really paid attention to her at all before, but now, with the sun's radiance illuminating the blonde strands and her fair skin, he couldn't help but be captivated by her, as if she were an untouchable goddess whom he was fortunate enough to stumble on as she bathed in clear blue waters.

The thought triggered a light bulb in Kakashi's brain.

Bathe? Well…there WAS water, and she WAS undressing. Did that mean she was going to disrobe completely? But why here? Surely she had a shower at home. However, it was becoming more and more apparent that the shinobi didn't care so much as to WHY she was here in front of him but WHAT she was doing while she was. Even though he knew he should have teleported away from this place and her dangerous curves long ago, he found himself still rooted to the spot, unable to look away.

XXXXX

Ino smiled as she felt the chakra behind her waver slightly, a sign that the man it belonged to was distracted enough to loose his concentration and break his concealment of his energy signature. If Sakura hadn't described the exact spot he usually sat in, she might not have found him, so well disguised was his body's power. But now, it seemed that he was having a harder time keeping himself camouflaged, although Ino had no intention of letting him know she knew he was there…no yet anyways.

When Ino had planned to spend her lunch break winning over Sakura's sensei, she had intended to sit and chat with him, even though she had never pegged him as being the chatting type.

She had casually mentioned to Sakura earlier that morning about wanting to thank Kakashi for helping her when she had "drank too much" the previous night and asked her where she might find him. The pink haired ninja, none the wiser to Ino's true intentions, had mentioned that he sometimes liked to hang out at the training grounds where Team 7 used to meet so he could read in peace. Much to the blonde's delight, he had been there just a Sakura had said.

However, when she had seen the crystal blue waters and felt the heat of the sun, a new and decidedly more wicked idea had crept into her mind, one that would use a language much more powerful than mere words and would undoubtedly hold his attention much better.

She had bathed in lakes and rivers before, but usually just on missions when indoor plumbing was not available. However, who was to say she couldn't decide to work on her tan and take a quick dip in the waters by the usually deserted training grounds? It was a warm day after all, a day too good to miss while being cooped up in a hospital. She was just a normal kunoichi taking a break from her training, spending it out with nature and totally unaware of the eye fixed on her as she hummed to herself and danced as she stripped away her clothing.

A sly smile spread across her lips and she was thankful he couldn't see it as she continued to gyrate her hips seductively. If Kakashi was anything like the rest of the men she knew, he'd be wrapped around her little finger…or at least around her body, by the time she was done with him.

XXXXX

Kakashi was pretty sure the sweat forming on his forehead had nothing to do with the weather. The blonde was practically radiating sensuality now, her body beckoning him even if she didn't know he was there. He heard another faint pop and internally groaned as her wrap around skirt began to slide away.

He didn't know whether to rejoice or be terrified as it slid down her legs, revealing black panties and a pair of fishnet shorts that didn't do much to cover anything at all. Did she seriously fight in that attire on a regular basis with nothing more than her skirt over the top?

That thought gave way to another as she bent over to pull off her sandals, her rear now high in the air. All kinds of scenarios flashed through the shinobi's brain, the possibilities endless with what he could do to her if he were to get behind her at this very moment and—

Kakashi let out a soft moan of frustration as he watched Ino tug off one boot and then the other. He was disgusted with himself for having so little self control, but he had to admit, the kunoichi was incredibly beautiful and he couldn't believe he had never noticed that before. Maybe he had automatically blocked her out since he knew she was forbidden flesh, but now that his eyes had been opened, he was beginning to long for blissful ignorance again…or for the views of what was considered acceptable shinobi behavior to change.

Never had he felt so weakened by his lust and Kakashi didn't like it. He had to leave now before he did something even more stupid than kissing her in a darkened bar hallway. This time, he actually made it to his feet and had his book halfway into his kunai pouch when her voice sounded out.

"Kakashi sensei? I didn't know you were here!"

Shitfucksonofabitchgoddammit…

He was so caught. He expected a kunai to come whizzing through the air at his throat at any second, and he would have deserved it too. Needless to say, he was a bit perplexed to see her smiling wide and making her way towards him in nothing more than her bindings, fishnet leg bands, her panties and those infernally sexy shorts. Whose idea was it anyway to make a fabric that was full of holes?

"Were you here the whole time? You were so quiet, I didn't even notice you." She said as she came to stand beside him, totally comfortable in her mostly naked state even around a man.

Kakashi could have spouted something about being a ninja, hence being quiet and invisible when needed, but instead he pulled his eyes away from her body and flipped open his book, forcing himself to concentrate on the pages instead of her. He wanted nothing more than to be away from her, away from temptation and back to a place where he could piece together the shreds of his sanity.

"So what are you doing here?" The kunoichi asked, sitting into one hip and eyeing him quizzically. Kakashi's onyx eye met her teal ones for a moment before flicking back to his book. "Reading, but I was just going to leave. Please don't let me disturb you."

Once again he tried to make a break for it but suddenly the kunoichi was latched onto his arm. Why wouldn't this devil woman leave him alone? She had already invaded his thoughts and now she was going to begin infringing on his personal space?

"Don't let me scare you off." Ino whined. "Why don't you take a swim with me?"

As sexy as she was, her voice continued to grate on his nerves. Kakashi yanked his arm out of her grip and looked at her incredulously.

"I don't think so Ino. I'm not exactly dressed for a swim and from the looks of it, neither are you."

The blonde looked down, as if realizing her choice of clothes for the first time and shrugged.

"Well then what DO you think I'm dressed for?"

Kakashi could have honestly answered that she looked ready to give a lap dance at a strip bar but he didn't feel like having his life ended prematurely at that particular moment, although the blonde was being incredibly friendly…too friendly even.

"I don't think your dressed for an appearance in public I can tell you that. Go put your clothes back on."

"No, I'm going to go swimming. Tsunade's been riding my ass all day and I want to relax a little bit before my break is over."

The Copy Nin nearly chocked at her choice of words. If she wasn't careful, Tsunade wouldn't be the only one riding her.

"Well if you won't take a swim with me, at least keep me company." Ino insisted, and before he could turn the headstrong blonde down, she was behind him with both hands on his back, pushing him towards the river in front of him.

The masked man considering fighting her but honestly, it was more trouble than it was worth. She asked him to keep her company, but she didn't say anything about holding a conversation. He had every intention of ignoring her completely and getting back to his book.

He found a large rock at the river's edge and grudgingly perched on its smooth surface as Ino flounced past him to dip a toe into the cool water. He had just gotten comfortable and flipped open his book to where he left off when he felt something nudge his thigh.

Barely holding in an exasperated sigh, he shifted his eye from his novel to find himself looking down the long pale leg she had propped up on the rock, purple painted toenails wiggling against him.

"Kakashi sensei, can you take my leg guards off for me?" she said with a sweet smile. Her eyes however were devilish and full of mischief.

The Copy Nin kept his eye focused on her twin pools of aquamarine as his hand ghosted over her skin to tug the piece of netting down her limb. He tried not to think about how smooth her skin felt or how easy it would be to pull her to him so he could run his hands all over her.

Having had her left leg guard removed, Ino replaced the leg perched on the rock with her right so he could repeat the process, fighting to keep her innocent smile from turning wicked as felt Kakashi's fingers on her skin. She knew he must be aching to feel more of her but thanks to his pride and strong dedication to shinobi duty, he would keep his hands to himself until he absolutely could stand it no longer, and she definitely planned to push him that far.

He tossed the abandoned pieces of fabric back to the blonde who caught them with a grin. Quirking her eyebrow at the older man, she promptly hooked one onto her thumb and pulled it back until it was taunt. She let it go with a snap, sending it whizzing through the air towards Kakashi's face and would have hit him square on the nose if his cat-like reflexes hadn't enabled him to catch it before it hit its mark.

He rolled his eye at her childishness but Ino just giggled as she turned around and bent over, slipping off the shorts that he found so intriguing.

As much as he wanted to bury his nose in his book, the silver haired shinobi couldn't tear his eyes away from the sight of the barely there garment sliding down her well muscled legs.

She was now wearing nothing but her bindings and black underwear and Kakashi prayed that she wouldn't take anything else off. He didn't think he could handle seeing anymore of her porcelain skin exposed to him.

Mercifully, Ino straightened and tossed the shorts away recklessly before she waded into the water up to her waist.

Kakashi could hear her suck in a breath as the cool water hit her skin and noticed that she broke out into goose bumps before her body adjusted to the temperature change. Without his permission, his brain stated displaying images of ways that he too could make her shiver and he returned to his book with a growl.

"Kakashi sensei, you're so quiet. Are you always like this?

"When I have nothing to say, I don't say anything." Kakashi answered simply, keeping his nose buried in his book.

"I don't know how Sakura put up with you all these years." Ino giggled. "At least Azuma makes the effort to act friendly to his students."

"Well, we can't all be social butterflies now can we?"

Ino gave an exasperated sigh at his response. He wasn't even looking at her. It was like talking to a brick wall…except Kakashi talked back, sorta. Well if he thought he was going to sit there and ignore her he was wrong.

With a giggle, the blonde scooped some water into her cupped palms and tossed it at him. Droplets of water rained down on the shinobi and he shot her a disgruntled look.

"I don't recommend doing that again. If you get my book wet, I'm going to be upset."

It was Ino's turn to roll her eyes. That damn book! Didn't he care about anything else? She had half a mind to steal the precious little paperback from him and dunk it in the water. He would just have to find something else to satisfy him…which wouldn't be hard since she would gladly volunteer. But chances are that course of action would end with him strangling her which wasn't exactly what she wanted. So instead, she simply stuck her tongue out at him before wading out further to river's deepest point, the water up to her armpits now.

Taking a deep breath, she dunked her head underwater completely, letting the cool water rush over her and ease the sun's heat.

She came up only when her lungs began to protest and smoothed away damp strands of hair from her face. She was greeted with the sight of the lanky shinobi once again fully engrossed in his book, his visible eye running back and forth rapidly as he read whatever perverted scene this particular novel featured.

It was such a hot day and yet he still wore his long sleeve shirt and black pants. She knew he must be warm. She swam back over to him and stepped out of the water and on to the grassy bank. She noticed the Copy Nin's eye flick towards her quickly before returning to his book. Just as she thought, he wanted to look, but didn't want the temptation.

She circled to the side of him and leaned in close, drops of water dripping from her hair and body to splash onto the sun warmed surface of Kakashi's rock.

"Ino, stop dripping on me." was the only rise she got out of the stoic ninja.

With a sigh she leaned in closer, disregarding his words.

"Are you SURE you don't want to take a dip? You've got to be warm with all that clothing on."

Kakashi finally allowed himself to look at her and instantly wished he hadn't. Droplets of water clung to every inch of her body, glistening in the sunlight and capturing his attention. He watched a particularly fat drop run along her collarbone and down into her cleavage where the bindings prevented him from tracking it further. His eye hovered there for a moment, watching the rise and fall of her bosom with each breath she took. Her nipples had hardened from the coolness of the water and were extremely prominent against the soft curves of the rest of her breasts. He strained his eye a little harder and wasn't sure if it was a trick of the light, but he was almost certain her bindings had become transparent enough for him to see her rosy areolas through the wet fabric.

"No Ino, I've told you, I don't want to go swimming."

He DID however want to tear off her remaining clothes and take her right here on this rock. But on the other hand, stripping down and ravishing her in the water wasn't such a bad thought either, the cool water soothing their burning bodies as he drove into her again and aga—

Kakashi cut the thought off there, shocked by his own lack of control. Clearly he was letting the blonde get to him and that couldn't happen, he stood, intending to put some space between them but he didn't get very far.

"Come on Kakashi," Ino begged, letting her fingers wander over the material of his vest, trying to slide it off his shoulders. "Getting wet feels so good."

"I'm sure it does." He grumbled, cursing his perverted mind for conjuring up images of a wet Ino that had nothing to do with the water in the river.

The older man pulled away from her and went to the nearest tree, sliding back down to the ground and leaning against the thick trunk in order to escape the blonde's deft fingers and make it near impossible for her to get his vest off him.

The kunoichi pouted and hopped off the rock, making her way towards him. She bent over at the waist, her hands braced on her thighs as she looked at him. "You're no fun, but I guess I should start drying off now before I go back to the hospital."

Kakashi wished it were only that easy to dry up the dirty thoughts swirling around in his head.

While she continued her act of innocence , internally the half naked woman was growing increasingly irritated. What the hell was wrong with him? Was she not attractive enough for him? He had a chance to splash around with her while she was wearing practically nothing and still he refused. It looked like Kakashi was going to be a hard nut to crack…quite literally. Well if subtle innuendo and exposing her body weren't enough to do him in, maybe she needed a more direct approach.

"Kakashi sensei?" Ino asked, cocking her head to the side a little bit.

"Just Kakashi. Don't call me sensei" He said, his throat tightening in irritation. He let his eye look up momentarily but immediately regretted it, for her current position put him at eye level with the cleavage that was practically in his face. Using all the self discipline he had, he dragged his eyes back to his less interesting but decidedly less dangerous book.

The blonde giggled. "Fine, Kakashi then. Are you hungry? Maybe we could go get something to eat."

"I'm sorry Ino but I've already eaten. You'll have to find someone else."

It was a lie of course but Kakashi had no intention of spending any more time with the girl than necessary.

"Aw come on. You're not even hungry for a little dessert?" she persisted as she crouched down so she was eye level with him.

"I don't particularly like sweets." The Copy Nin replied, still keeping his nose stuck firmly in his book. He didn't like the flirtatious and persistent tone her voice had taken on. They had had their fun last night, things were over and done with and that was it. So why did he get the feeling Ino was trying to serve herself a second helping of him? Maybe he had proven his adeptness with women a little too well.

The kunoichi smirked at his response. She figured he would say something like that and it gave her the perfect opening to initiate the next step in her plan.

"Well if you're not hungry for sweets, why don't you eat me instead?"

Kakashi visibly tensed, the book nearly falling from his fingers as his eye slowly rose from the pages to fix on her sparkling teal orbs.

"I beg your pardon?"

In an instant, the flirtatious blonde had straddles his stretched legs and was sitting in his lap, her hands clasped at the nape of his neck and her ample breasts pressed to him. He could feel the dampness that still clung to her begin to seep into his clothes.

This time, he DID drop his book.

"You heard me Kakashi sensei." She whispered bringing her lips to his ear. "I'm yours for the tasting if you're hungry."

Ino shifted her hips a little, pressing them against his groin and Kakashi had to bite the inside of his cheek to keep from gasping. He could feel blood starting to rush to his member and had to summon every image he had of Gai showering in the locker rooms to keep himself under control.

"Ino, get off me. You're being completely inappropriate."

Unfazed, Ino continued her subtle grind against him. "What's the matter, afraid of getting caught? If you don't want a quickie now, I could come by your apartment later and we'd have all night to…"

One hand left the back of his neck and wandered to his mask, intending to tug it down and finally expose what she had been dying to see, but his hand shot up and closed firmly around her wrist, holding her still.

"What the hell has gotten into you?" he growled. "You know very well I shouldn't be having anything to do with you."

"That didn't seem to stop you last night." She purred, his eyes twinkling with mischief as she ground against him a little harder.

His resolve was breaking, she could feel it. The hardening bulge pressing against her was proof.

The hand not holding her wrist moved to grip her hip firmly, stilling her maddening movements against him. He met her gaze evenly with his exposed eye.

"What happened last night was a mistake Ino. I have no intention of repeating it. I want no further physical contact with you of that nature in the future. Am I clear?"

He was expecting disappointment or even anger from the kunoichi. What he did not expect was a sly smile that crept over the blonde's lips.

"You're such a liar Kakashi sensei. There was a whole lot of fire in that kiss last night and I have the feeling you haven't had a woman in a while. You're dying to relieve some tension aren't you? Well I'm ready and willing."

With her last words, Ino brought her lips closer and closer to his, intending to kiss him through the mask, but Kakashi was too quick, jerking her captured wrist between their faces like a barrier.

"Ino, you have no idea what I want so I will tell you." Kakashi said, his voice deadly calm even though he was fighting an internal war that involved keeping a tent from forming further in his pants. "I want you to get the hell off of me and disappear immediately and never EVER approach me like this again. Do you understand?"

He watched as the words sunk in, watched as her brow furrowed and her lips turned downwards. Her free hand balled into a fist and began to shake. Here came the anger he had been prepared for earlier and it reminded him why he made it a rule to bed women he would never have to see again.

"But why?!" she cried, beating her fist against his chest. "It was YOU who kissed ME last night! You're the one who started it and now you're acting like you're too good for me?"

"There are three effective ways to silence a woman." Kakashi hissed. "The first is killing them, the second is knocking them out and the third is kissing them. Since the first two weren't an option, I did what I could to shut you up."

"You're a bastard!" Ino spat, pulling back her free hand in preparation to slap him across the face but he caught that wrist in his hand as well. She was now sitting in his lap without the use of either arm, which was probably a good thing since she was currently mad as hell.

"Do you always go around playing with people like this?" Ino yelled, her eyes full of blue fire as she tried to jerk her wrists away from the masked man's grip.

"I only did what I did in response to those dirty little rumors you spread about me. Maybe you should think twice before you go around making up stories."

For a moment, neither of them spoke. They simply glared at each other with so much anger that the daggers flying between them were nearly visible.

"Let me go." Ino finally said coolly, her iciness contrasting with her earlier anger.

Kakashi complied, no longer wanting to have this argument with her sitting in his lap.

He released her wrists and abruptly stood up, dumping her unceremoniously to the ground. He was sick of her, sick of thinking about her and sick of looking at her, no matter how beautiful she was when she was angry. Before she could scramble to her feet and shout indignantly at him, he made the hand seals for a teleportation jutsu.

As he disappeared in a puff of smoke, he left several simple parting words.

"Keep away from me Ino, I mean it."

The blonde, still on the ground rolled over and punched the earth with a scream of frustration, creating a rather large crater in the ground. That man was infuriating! When she had offered herself to him and had pressed her scantily clad body to his, she was so sure she'd had him! She had planned everything to give her the chance to see him today, including purposely getting involved in a project around lunch time so Sakura would leave without her, giving her the chance to meet with her former teacher later when Ino finally took a break.

She had felt his gaze on her the entire time she had been undressing at the river and had made sure that the removal of every article of clothing had been slow and deliberate, sensual and enticing and she knew it had worked. He had definitely been interested. So why, why did he leave her in the dirt and dematerialize in front of her?

She had figured he might have resisted at first, just to make it look like he wasn't a horny old man lusting after younger flesh, but she had expected him to loosen up once she came on strong, letting him feel the body that could be his for the taking.

What she HADN'T expected was such an adamant rejection that had escalated into a heated argument. She knew he wanted her. She KNEW it! So why was he being so stubborn?

Well, she wasn't ready to give up just yet. She had a few more tricks up her sleeve that she was confident would be the Copy ninja's undoing. She just needed to bide her time and plan her next move.

Ino picked herself off the ground and brushed herself off, preparing to go back to the hospital. She spotted his orange book laying in the grass, obviously forgotten in his haste to depart and scooped it up, smiling at the fact that she was holding something the older Jounin would definitely miss.

As she walked back into down she thought about how his body had felt under hers, all muscle and power, although incredibly tense and opposed to her caress. Well next time she was on top of him, she would make sure he was infinitely more relaxed and open to her touches. She would also make sure that there was not a stitch of clothing between them.


	6. Under the table

I do not own Naruto.

XXXXX

Gossip

Kakashi sighed as he eased into the wooden chair at one of his favorite eateries. He had trained hard the entire morning, pushing himself more than usual and only now was he allowing himself to relax, settling down with his trusty book amid the bustle of lunch eating patrons around him.

He had to pull a new volume from his collection to carry with him today since he had misplaced the last one, and though it was regrettable, he had been planning on replacing it soon anyways, not to mention he had read through that particular book enough to have most of it memorized. So today, he flipped open a copy of Icha Icha Tactics, the green cover signaling a change from the usual orange.

It was barely past noon and all ready his body felt heavy with fatigue. He really needed to be careful how far he pushed himself. He wasn't as young as he once was, his sore muscles a constant reminder of that fact. And yet, Kakashi knew exactly why he had thrown himself into his morning training with reckless abandon.

It was to do something, anything, to get his mind off of HER.

A pretty young waitress came to his table, delivering the green tea he had ordered. She flashed him a smile that was really quite striking before hurrying over to another table.

Why couldn't a girl like her become infatuated with him instead of the loud mouthed kunoichi? Though she was still a little young for him, she at last was not the best friend of one of his former students, and he guessed she wasn't sneaky, aggressive or manipulative either.

The Copy ninja sighed and pulled down his mask just long enough for him to take a sip of his tea, enjoying the feel of the hot liquid running down his throat and warming his stomach.

It was obvious that he couldn't stand Ino. She was annoying beyond comprehension and yet, yesterday, he had been so close, so very close to giving in to her. Apparently she was a lot more dangerous than he had originally thought, her talents extending past that of just spreading misguided rumors. When she put her mind to it, she was quite the seductress, one that even a seasoned shinobi like himself had a hard time turning down.

And while he may have managed to keep his hands off of her, she had successfully implanted herself in his mind so deeply that even his subconscious was focused on her. Kakashi recalled the memory of waking up this morning, finding his boxers glued to the side of his leg by the remains of a VERY good dream the previous night, a dream that no doubt featured the blonde kunoichi. He only remembered bits and pieces of what went on, but he had enough fragments to piece together an erotic scene of the sassy little blonde gagged, blindfolded and handcuffed to his bed while he paid her back for tempting him yesterday, making her moan loud enough that the sounds could still be heard through the muffling fabric tied across her mouth.

Kakashi allowed himself to ponder over the dream. Was that really what he wanted to do with her? Tie her down and have his way with her? No doubt he would love to see her gagged any day of the week. It would be a blessing to the world if she was rendered incapable of speech, but to make her truly helpless and ravage her? He didn't understand his own mind's workings.

Yes she had a killer body and a pretty face, but so did countless other kunoichi he had come across and none of them left such a lasting impression. Even some of the kunoichis that had attempted to seduce him, whether for the sake of a mission or simply to have a little fun, had not been able to emblaze their visage on the back of his eyelids so deeply. So why? Why had this annoying little brat been able to worm her way into his mind and take up residence when he believed he wanted nothing to do with her?

The shinobi didn't know, and thinking about it was making his head hurt so he resigned himself to sipping his tea and reading his book, trying to put a certain blonde woman out of his head.

All seemed to be going well until a figured pulled out the chair across from him and took a seat. Slowly, Kakashi lowered the book from in front of his face, dreading what would be waiting for him on the other side.

"Hey there Kakashi. I saw you reading that book of yours from a mile away and figured you could use a little human company for a change."

The masked man breathed a sigh of relief when he discovered the person that had taken up residence at his table was his senbon sucking friend and not a certain persistent purple clad blonde.

"Hello Genma." The Copy ninja said, giving a nod in the man's direction.

"I never saw you again after you left for the john the other night. What happened?" the brown haired shinobi said around the metal object protruding from his mouth.

Kakashi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, giving his friend an eye crease. "Sorry about that. Extenuating circumstances dictated that I call it an early night. Besides, you looked pretty busy yourself by the time I left."

Genma settled back in his chair and crossed his arms across his chest. He probably would have been pouting if his lips weren't already occupied with the senbon.

"Yeah well, in the end she thought that repaying a man for buying her drinks all night meant a peck on the cheek before high tailing it out of there."

"That's probably for the best." Kakashi said, smirking under his mask. "The last thing you need is another STD."

Genma rolled his eyes, switching the oversized toothpick to the other corner of his mouth. "Yeah well, we all can't be lady killers like you there buddy. I don't keep half of my face covered like you do, but maybe I should start. Women seem to like that mysterious thing you have going on."

A grin spread across his lips as he leaned in towards his silver haired friend.

"Speaking of ladies, was she any good?"

"What?" Kakashi asked, fighting to keep his face neutral even though his heart skipped a beat. What did he mean "she"? Had he found out about Ino? If he had then it must be all over the village right now. Sometimes Genma was just as hot for gossip as the blonde if the tidbits of information were juicy enough and involved sex.

"The woman you left with the other night. The "extenuating circumstance" you were talking about was a woman wasn't it?"

The masked shinobi tried not to let the relief show on his face and remained impassive as he responded.

"No, there was no woman. Every one of them in the bar that night was a local and you know my policy…although I was feeling desperate enough I might have made an exception."

Genma reached across the table to clap his friend on the shoulder encouragingly.

"Don't worry man. I'm sure you'll get some soon. Maybe Tsunade will send you on a mission somewhere where you can seduce all the women you want without strings attached.

A mission. Yes, that's exactly what Kakashi needed right now, to be sent to a far away place where that evil temptress would be out of sight and out of mind. Then he could finally focus on his job without distractions and maybe, once the job was done, satisfy his cravings for female flesh so fully that he wouldn't give her a second glance when he got back to Konoha.

Unfortunately for him, the majority of the missions that had been coming in during this peaceful period were C and D ranked and given to Genins and some of the less experienced Chuunins. Higher ranked ninja like himself had been free of late to brush up on their training and techniques but as of right now, Kakashi was less than grateful for the break.

Focusing back on the man across from him, the Copy Nin noticed his eyes slide away from his face and focus on the street behind him. From the way they moved slowly from left to right, Kakashi guessed he was tracking someone's movement, and knowing Genma, it was probably a woman.

He picked up his forgotten tea and took a sip before asking, "Who is it this time?"

"Ayame Ichiraku." The senbon sucker breathed, his eyes taking on a lecherous glint as he continued to follow her movements.

Kakashi chuckled and shook his head. "Give it up Genma. She may be nice to look at but she's too smart to get involved with the likes of you. Hell, every woman in Konoha knows better by now."

Genma dragged his eyes back to his friend and gave him a wink. "Maybe, but nobody ever got anything by giving up. See you later Kakashi."

The Copy ninja held up his hand in a silent farewell as the man and his senbon hurried out to the street, no doubt to track down and attempt to charm the pretty young daughter of Konoha's best ramen shop.

As soon as his womanizing friend was out of sight, Kakashi flipped open his book and was soon engrossed in another world. He was just aware enough to notice a presence lingering behind him and the Jounin smiled beneath his mask. It appeared that Genma had struck out quickly this time.

"Back already are you?" he chuckled without lifting his eyes from his book.

The presence circled around and pulled out the chair across from him, the wooden legs scraping loudly on the floor. Even then Kakashi didn't look up from his book until he heard a familiar feminine voice.

"You know I can't stay away from you Kakashi sensei."

No, no this was NOT happening. Hey prayed that his ears were playing tricks on him and it was in fact Sakura or some other female friend sitting across from him, but even as he slowly lowered the book from in front of his face, he knew exactly what he would find.

The aqua eyes girl sat across from him, legs crossed, chin cupped in her palm as she gazed demurely at him.

The older shinobi glanced around nervously. The eatery was still packed with people eating lunch. He didn't want anyone to see him with the blonde ninja and get the wrong idea about them but everyone seemed to go about their business without giving the two of them a second glance.

"What do YOU want?" he asked, unable to keep the hostility out of his voice. "Shouldn't you be in a hospital somewhere bringing dead fish back to life?"

Ino stuck her tongue out at him, an act that was childish but somehow mildly adorable at the same time.

"I've graduating past reviving dead fish, thank you very much. And no, I happen to have the day off from the hospital."

"So you decided to spend it stalking me?" Kakashi grumbled, bringing his book in front of his face again like a barrier. Maybe if he made it obvious he found romance novels more interesting than her, she would go away.

"I'm not stalking you. I just happen to be passing by and I saw you here. It's not my fault you're always in the same place I am."

Though he could not see her from behind his book, Kakashi could tell she was pouting, and while he usually did not find pouting particularly attractive, her lips had looked full and delectable when her voice had taken on that same tone yesterday.

"I don't know how Sakura put up with you all those years. It seems like you'd be impossible to get along with.

"I get along with Sakura because she has grown up to be level headed, rational, reasonable and above all things mature; everything you're not. So yes, I suppose it would be impossible for us to get along so why don't you give up and leave me alone."

He was hoping his remark would anger her enough to make her leave in disgust but instead she only giggled. The Copy Nin rolled his visible eye skyward and wondered what the hell he had done to deserve this. He was sure whatever gods resided up there were probably laughing hard enough to split a seam right now. Couldn't she just take a damn hint already? He wanted nothing to do with her!

"I know you're not that old yet, but from the way you talk, you sound like a grumpy old man."

"Maybe I am."

"I know you're not."

Apparently, having a book obscuring his face from her didn't seem to faze her. Maybe she would get a clue if pretended not to listen at all.

"Sakura says you can actually be quite agreeable if you put your mind to it."

"Hmm." Was all Kakashi mumbled, pretended to be very into his book.

"Maybe you wouldn't mind showing me that side of you once in a while."

"Hmm."

"I could make it worth your while…" Ino added suggestively, leaning in a little closer.

"Hmm." Kakashi responded, proud that his tone still sounded bored even if her provocative offer made his pulse jump.

The blonde sighed in exasperation, trying to keep the vein on her forehead from throbbing angrily. What was with this guy? The only other man she had met that could shut her out like this was Shikamaru, but she had learned to be civil with him for the sake of the missions they had been assigned to together. His laziness made him unattractive to her and she never really pursued him, but the Copy ninja was a totally different story. He fascinated her and she wanted more of what she had tasted in the bar that other night, especially after he had told her she couldn't have it. But god dammit, did he have to be so infuriating?

Ino reached across the table and pressed down on the book, lowering the visual barrier between them.

"Are you always this annoying or just to the women that you're avoiding?"

Kakashi stared at her blankly.

"If I answer 'yes', will it make you go away?"

"No."

The silver haired man dropped his eyes back down to the book that was currently open on the table, not saying another word to the kunoichi in front of him.

Ino was ready to grab that stupid green book from him and shred it into confetti, that is until she got an idea.

Propping her chin on interlaced fingers, she regarded Kakashi quizzically.

"Really Kakashi, you're behavior makes me wonder. What kind of hot blooded man would ignore the affections of a woman like myself?"

"A moral one." The shinobi answered simply without looking up.

"You know, I don't think that's it at all." The blonde said with a smile. "I think you're afraid."

"Why would I be afraid?" he scoffed, finally raising one coal black eye to meet hers of aquamarine.

Inwardly, Ino was cackling gleefully. She had cast her line and he was dumb enough to bite.

"I think you're afraid you would be in over your head, that an old man like you wouldn't be able to keep up…"

"I thought you said I wasn't an old man." Kakashi grumbled.

"You know what I mean." Ino smiled, quirking an eyebrow as if to challenge him. "Admit it, I intimidate you."

At this, Kakashi looked at her incredulously before answering, "I assure you Ino that you don't intimidate me. Annoy me, yes, but not intimidate."

"Really?" the blonde purred. "Not even a little?"

As she leaned forward, Kakashi nearly jumped out of his seat as he felt her foot rub sensuously along the inside of his calf. Obviously, she had kicked off her sandals some time during the conversation.

"Ino, stop it." He hissed, shooting her a poisonous look as she managed to push up his pant leg a little so she could feet his skin against hers. "What if somebody sees?"

"Let them look." Ino smiled devilishly. "But honestly you're too paranoid. Relax. No one is going to notice."

Kakashi tried not to squirm in his seat as he felt her leg glide along his, the smooth texture of her freshly shaven skin feeling so good against his body. She moved against him slowly, deliberately, making sure he felt every inch of her muscled leg against him.

Kakashi inwardly groaned. Her flesh was soft and warm and he ached to take her someplace away from the hustle of the restaurant and uncover the rest of her body so he could explore it at his leisure.

Her teal eyes held him captive, her desire for him was obvious as she continued to rub against him. It was easy to imagine their bodies utilizing that same suggestive rhythm for an entirely different activity and once again fragmented images of his dream came rushing back to him.

She had been sexy enough yesterday in her so-called "swimwear", but the thought of the overbearing blonde succumbing to him as he tasted and teased her flesh was far too alluring. Then again, she seemed to know a thing or two about the art of seduction and he was curious to see if she had the moves to back it up once she actually got him in bed. Maybe he'd let her take the reigns for a while and ride him until—

Kakashi shook his head as if coming out of a trance. What the hell was he thinking? This was Ino, not some simple fling he could walk away from in a far away village. He would have to face her the next day after whatever they did, and if her current behavior continued, he'd have to face her EVERYDAY. Besides, a loud mouth like her would no doubt blab every detail of their intimate experience to anyone and everyone willing to listen. He imagined that wouldn't go over real well when the word finally reached Tsunade's ears.

He tried to move away from the blonde's enticing limbs, but with the tight confides of the small table, he had nowhere to go.

"Ino, I'm serious. Knock it off!" He growled threateningly, growing further annoyed as her eyes only widened in feigned innocence.

"But Kakashi sensei, my feet are cold." She pouted. "And you're so nice and warm."

"Bullshit. It's blazing hot outside."

"I have bad circulation. It's a curse." The blonde said flippantly, her innocent smile turning devilish as her leg moved to rub just above his knee.

"Bad circulation my ass." Kakashi muttered under his breath. If she wanted bad circulation, he could fix that. He was sure a kunai or two shoved up her—

"More tea for you sir?"

The pretty young waitress had returned to the table and was now looking at the Copy nin expectantly. He swallowed the curse he had been ready to spit at the devious woman across from him and was about to respond when Ino's foot slid up much higher than simply his knee.

"No thank you, I'm fine." Kakashi chocked out, trying desperately to sound normal despite the female foot stroking his skin through the fabric of his pants very high up on his thigh.

"And you miss?" the girl said, turning to Ino.

"No thank you." She answered casually, betraying nothing that was going on under the table.

The waitress nodded and left and immediately Kakashi delivered a quick kick to the invasive leg beneath the table.

"Ow! What was that for?"

Ino rubbed at her wounded ankle with her palm, shooting the man across from her an accusing glance.

"You know damn well what it was for." Kakashi growled, narrowing his single eye at her.  
The damned devil woman had weakened his resolve once again. Why did he keep considering breaking his 'no locals' rule for her, the friend of his student? She should be one of the last women in all of Konoha that he would consider sleeping with, and yet, he couldn't deny that he desperately wanted her naked and pinned beneath him. However, he had no intention of letting things go any further than just mental images. He would NOT be manipulated by her.

Before he had a chance to open his mouth and tell her so, Ino shot her foot out and placed it directly between his legs, applying a pressure firm enough to make him nervous but not enough to hurt…yet.

It took all of Kakashi's self control not to yelp. Her foot connecting with his crotch was unexpected to say the least and it would take minimal effort on her part to cause him extreme amounts of pain. However, as she began to wriggle her foot around slowly, he couldn't deny that it actually felt kind of nice, and it probably would have felt better if he didn't fear his manhood being crushed at any moment. However, the last thing he wanted to do was encourage the obnoxious blonde with a hard on caused by her ministrations.

He scooted his chair back until her foot fell away, her leg not long enough to reach any further.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Kakashi scowled, fighting to keep his voice from rising. He couldn't believe she'd be so brash as to pull something like that in a public place in restaurant that didn't even have tablecloths to cover her actions!

"What's the matter?" Ino asked innocently. "Too much for you to handle?"

The masked Jounin had had just about all he could take of Ino's antics and that cutting remark sent him over the edge.

Standing abruptly, he snatched his book off the table and jammed it into his kunai pouch.

"Ino, I am leaving now and if you have any sense of self preservation at all, you will not follow me."

Before she could think of a witty comeback or devise a plan to tail him, he was gone. Despite her disappointment at once again failing to ensnare the Copy Nin, she couldn't help but smile. He was weakening, she could sense it. His anger and hurried exit proved it. All she needed was to land one strong hit on those barriers that he had constructed around himself and his defenses would come tumbling down, and hopefully that would mean she would be tumbling into his bed.

Ino slipped her bare foot back into her sandal and sighed. Just as she pushed back her chair to leave, the waitress came back to the table and left the bill. The vein that the blonde had been carefully keeping in check suddenly pulsed violently, becoming prominent on her smooth forehead. How dare that bastard not only turn her down, but then leave her with HIS check!

Well, all would be repaid if things went her way and she would make sure he would squirm a little just for this. Ino pulled some cash out of her wallet which she had fortunately brought along and tossed it on the table.

As she emerged from the restaurant into the Konoha sunshine, Ino found herself actually feeling more confident in her ability to seduce the famous Copy ninja. She just had to formulate the perfect plan that would leave him with no means of escape. As she began to walk home, the beginnings on an idea began to come together in her mind. It had something to do with that book she had picked up yesterday. She should probably return that to him soon. She wouldn't want him missing it now would she?


	7. Confrontation

I don't own Naruto and this story contains adult content. 'nuff said.

XXXXX

Gossip

Kakashi plodded tiredly up the stairs to his apartment, his sandaled feet falling heavily on the wooden steps. He looked over his shoulder as he reached his front door, his single eye taking in the sky painted orange and red by the setting sun. Even now the horizon still shimmered with heat as Konoha's heat wave continued. What he wouldn't give for some cooler temperatures. Even the air seemed heavy as if the heat brought with it a tangible weight.

The day had been long and grueling. Hell, the whole week had been exhausting. For the past few days, Ino had been popping up everywhere he went, always flirtatious and full of sexual energy. Her advances were getting increasingly harder to turn down and Kakashi wasn't sure how much more he could take. He guessed he had only held out for this long because most of his encounters with the young woman had been in public places.

To compensate, he had been running himself ragged, training until the sweat ran off his body in rivers. He even found himself helping out at the academy now and then, something that Iruka had been incredibly grateful for. Kakashi didn't have the heart to tell him that it wasn't because he was particularly fond of the youngsters or even because he wanted to help a friend in need. Simply put, looking after hyperactive children armed with kunai required so much energy that he absolutely had none left to think about the devious blonde. By the time he made it home, it was usually all he could do to keep himself upright long enough to shower before collapsing into bed.

All the stress was taking its toll on his body and he knew it and currently, he was feeling far older than his thirty four years of age. If he were to be called on a mission, it would be a challenge in itself to pull his exhausted body together enough just to keep from falling apart. And why? All over some silly girl? Kakashi was embarrassed to admit it to himself but yes, she had managed to shake him up in a way that no other woman had recently been able to. If it had been any other woman, he would have gladly screwed her brains out and been done with it. But he couldn't. Not with Ino. She was the forbidden fruit he could not touch although he hungered for another taste of her. Instead, he had to bear the sexual tension that was becoming increasingly worse, manifesting itself in his dreams. Already Kakashi had woken up to sheets crusted with his own seed nearly every morning his week and broken images of erotic dreams continued to plague him even when the blonde wasn't around. Something had to give, and soon, but it wouldn't be him, even if he was cursed with wet dreams for eternity. His pride wouldn't allow it.

The Copy Nin fumbled his key out of his vest pocket and slid it into the lock. The second he turned the knob however, he knew something was wrong. There was a presence already in his house.

He didn't know how he knew, he just did. There were no sounds, no smells, no tangible evidence on the outside that alerted him to anything being out of the ordinary. His gut simply told him something was amiss and Kakashi wasn't about to ignore his instincts after they had saved him so many times.

Drawing a kunai from his pouch, he readied himself for combat as he pushed the door the rest of the way open. However, the vision that greeted him upon entry caused the sharpened weapon to fall heavily to the floor, instantly forgotten.

"Hello Kakashi sensei. I was wondering when you'd be home."

There on his bed, was the very woman he had been trying to avoid, laying on her stomach on his shuriken printed sheets with his missing Icha Icha book open before her. The scene wouldn't have been so tempting and therefore distressing if it hadn't been for the fact that the only clothing the blonde wore was an incredibly sexy little thong of purple and violet lace.

She had propped herself up on her forearms just enough for him to get an eyeful of her bountiful cleavage but not enough to fully expose her nipples, although she was damn close. The first fleeting thought through Kakashi's brain was that he very much wanted to see the rest of her chest but practicality and common sense quickly took control as the initial shock wore off.

"Ino, what the fuck are you doing in my house?"

Despite the obscenity, the kunoichi's lips curled into an alluring smile. She battered her eyelashes innocently even though they both knew she was anything but.

"I came to return your book." She said sweetly. "I knew you must be aching to have it back."

Oh, he was aching all right, but not because of the book. Already there was a growing bulge in his pants that no disgusting image of Gai could eradicate. He couldn't tear his eyes away from the perfectly toned, gorgeous female specimen spread out on his bed. She was practically begging him to jump her bones and he was incredibly tempted to do it. How easy would it be to climb into bed with her and peel away those tantalizing panties, confirming whether or not she was indeed a natural blonde? The answer was it would be very easy, too easy. He needed her gone NOW before his horniness got the best of him.

"Ino, put on your clothes and leave immediately." He said, his voice calm and steady even though he felt like his insides were quivering with need. The floral scent that followed her everywhere had spread its bouquet all over his room. Even the smell of her was beckoning him to shed his clothes and pounce on her.

"Oh but Kakashi sensei, your bed is sooo comfortable." She practically moaned, rolling onto her back.

The Copy Nin held his breath as he waited for her breasts to come into view but she cleverly maneuvered his beloved book to lay open and facedown over her plentiful chest, barely obscuring what he was sure were twin peaks of perfection.

"Get off my bed." Kakashi said through gritted teeth, trying not to loose his temper or self control. Who the hell did she think she was, breaking into his apartment like this? She certainly wasn't here to return his book, that was for certain. She could have handed it to him in person with clothes still ON like any normal human would, but not her, oh no. She seemed to delight in making his life a living hell, in bending him as far as he could possibly go before breaking.

She knew the shinobi code of conduct as well as he and she knew how the village would view any relationship he had. He would be seen as a dirty old man preying on a woman fourteen years him junior and she would be the innocent twenty year old female seduced by his charm, even though that wasn't the case at all. The relationship between Ino and Sakura just amplified the feelings of disgust that would be felt by the public. She was definitely off limits to him and yet, here she was, practically nude on his bed, making every attempt to get him to touch her. If he had known it was going to lead to this, he never would have kissed her at the bar, no matter what dirty little lie she decided to spread about him.

"Oh but Kakashi sensei, I'm so into this book! The story is so good! I couldn't help but want to read it all once a stole a peek to see why you liked reading them so much."

Despite her supposed enthusiasm for his novels, her hands were running up and down her sides teasingly, ignoring the book on her chest entirely.

"And I suppose you have to take off all your clothes when you read?" Kakashi growled in irritation, trying to keep his eye focused on her face and not the rise and fall of her bosom beneath his book.

"But it's so hot." Ino whined, stretching her arms above her head into a position that was a silent plead for him to dominate her. "I thought I was going to go crazy if I didn't feel a little fresh air."

"Then go outside." Kakashi said tensely, gesturing towards the front door that was still open a crack. He hoped to the high heaves that nobody would decide to drop by and pay him a visit.

"But I wanted to wait for you." Ino breathed seductively, pushing herself up on her elbows. Kakashi held his breath and waited for the orange paperback to fall away and expose her to him but somehow, and much to both his relief and disappointment, the book stayed put.

"Well, now I'm here, and now I want you to get dressed and get out."

The shinobi's temper was threatening to overwhelm him but somehow he was strangely grateful for it. He'd rather be pissed off than aroused, although he still remained close to the door for fear of getting any nearer to the mostly naked woman would result in his hormones taking over.

Ino was not dumb. She could see how his eyes were glued to her body, taking in everything from the top of her head to her pretty purple toenails, although he seemed to linger the longest on her chest, not hat she was surprised. She was rather proud of the breasts that had developed over the past several years and the way his visible eye followed their movements as she breathed made her feel sexy and empowered. Who would have thought she'd have one of the village's most powerful shinobi eating out of the palm of her hand?

Instead of heeding the shinobi's orders, Ino just grinned and grabbed a corner of his pale yellow sheets, pulling it over her body as she rolled until she was so tangled up in his bed that she would be very hard to remove. No doubt that was her very intention.

Kakashi growled in irritation and began to advance on her but stopped short when her arm managed to worm its way out of the mass of sheets around her, the little orange book in her hand. She tossed it to him and he caught it easily thanks to his quick reflexes even though his mouth was agape and his eyes were wide. The Copy ninja knew that she was now tangled up in his bed in nothing more than a skimpy little thong and she obviously wasn't planning on leaving anytime soon. If he intended to extract her, he would no doubt be getting a glimpse of her naked body, which just might be the final straw that caused him to cave in and listen to his painfully hard erection, giving the blonde exactly what she wanted. The devious female inarguably had the upper hand, but he was not going to stand idly by while she invaded his house and his bed!

"Read to me Kakashi sensei." Ino cooed, snuggling down into the mess of sheets around her. "There's a really good scene on page 57. Start there."

Kakashi knew exactly what scene she was talking about. It was the same one he had been reading that day at the training grounds when she'd shown up and tried to get him to go for a swim, the scene that featured a blonde, ponytailed woman that resembled Ino a little too closely. Kakashi would not have been surprised at all to learn that Jiraiya had actually modeled the particular character after Ino herself, although the Copy ninja was currently cursing him for it. There was no way he was going to read erotica to the woman he simultaneously wanted to screw and shun. He doubted he'd even get halfway down a page before tossing it aside and turning his attentions instead to her supple body.

"There's no way in hell I'm reading to you." He said impatiently. "I told you to get out."

"Then come lay with me for a little bit then." She suggested, seeming to entirely miss the part where he told her to leave.

"Ino. I. Want. You. Out. Now."

His voice had taken on a dangerously low tone as his patience wore paper thin. He was now standing by the bed, more angry than aroused. This stupid girl did whatever she pleased and only chose to hear what she wanted to hear. It was enough to drive a man insane. He had every intention of grabbing her arm and yanking her out of bed and pushing her towards the door but as he extended is arm to do so, it was she that yanked on him, sending him toppling into the disheveled sheets with her. Before he could orientate himself, the blonde had rolled them over so she was straddling his legs as he lay flat on his back, peering into his single black eye with mischievous turquoise orbs.

"Why do you want me to go Kakashi sensei? Why can't we just stay here together for a while?"

She leaned down and tried to hook her fingers in his mask and pull it down but he caught her hands before she could reveal his face.

"You know as well as I do that this is wrong." Kakashi panted, barely suppressing a moan when Ino ground her pelvis against his. The bulge in his pants was throbbing now and he could feel the heat of her body all around him. If it hadn't been for the infernal sheets that were bunched between them, he would have had a clear view of her body.

Ino practically patted herself on the back when she saw a flush spread over the usually composed ninja's face, painting his cheekbones and the bridge of his nose a soft pink where his mask didn't cover him. He was good as hers now. There was no way he could turn her down now that she was naked and in his bed His body had obviously already decided what it wanted and now all she had to do was convince his mind as well.

"What's so wrong about wanting to touch and be touched?" the kunoichi asked seductively, leaning down to whisper in his ear. "All I want is to have a little fun with you."

"God dammit Ino I CAN'T!" Kakashi growled, incredibly frustrated by the fact that the blonde refused to give up. She was driving him to distraction and it took every ounce of self control to resist her, something he was doing for BOTH their benefit. Why couldn't she understand that?

In an attempt to distance himself from the hips that were gyrating teasingly against his crotch, Kakashi utilized his superior strength and weight and flipped the blonde on to her back, keeping her hands pinned in his. He expected her to put up some sort of fight but she allowed him to have his way, perhaps because she figured he had already won the battle.

"And why can't you touch me? Is it because I'm too young? Too inexperienced?" the woman beneath him said as she bit her lip in a way that made Kakashi's member twitch inside his pants. "I promise I can still make you feel good if you let me try."

As if to emphasize her point, she bent her knee and brought her thigh up between his legs, rubbing it against his erection in a slow, steady rhythm, smiling deviously when she felt Kakashi tremble slightly.

The Copy Nin could not hold back the moan that rose in the back of his throat as her toned leg connected with his manhood and heard her giggle as he did so. He was loath to show her any sign that he was weakening but he couldn't help it when what she was doing felt so incredible. If she could do all this with just her thigh, what could she do with the full use of her hands…or her mouth?

"I want you Kakashi sensei." Ino breathed huskily, trapping him in a lusty teal eyed stare. "From the feel of it, you want me too so stop fighting me and let me make you feel good."

Her hands moved to encircle him as she continued her assault on him with her thigh. He could feel her fingers pull at his vest in an attempt to disrobe him and he knew that if he didn't get out of this situation soon, his morals, his honor and most of all, his pride would all be out the window, and Kakashi would rather face death than let his iron grip loosen on any of these things.

Knowing it would be hard to untangle himself from the kunoichi that was currently hanging onto him like a leech, he quickly rolled the both of them over and right off the edge of the bed, sheets and all. Their bodies hit the floor with a heavy thud, earning the Copy Nin an indignant squawk from the woman next to him. He took advantage of her momentary disorientation to pry her off of him and scramble backwards from her like a crab.

"What did you do that for?" she cried angrily. Dammit, she had been so close to catching him and he had gone and ruined things. Now she'd have to build the mood up all over again, although she allowed herself a degree of smug satisfaction when she saw the tent in his pants was still clearly visible.

"I told you to get out and you didn't." The masked man said simply from his position on the floor. "Maybe now you'll listen to me."

She pouted at him from the heap of sheets that somehow still kept her covered, but she intended to change that. Fixing sultry eyes on him, she began to climb towards him on her hands and knees, the sheets falling away from her as she moved forward. Kakashi found he suddenly had to swallow a very large lump that had formed in his throat as the last piece of cloth fell away, finally exposing her breasts to him. They were lush and pert and round and everything he'd imagined they'd be and he could hardly take his eye off of them as they swayed enticingly with her every movement. It did not escape him that her nipples were already hard despite the warm weather and his mouth all but watered for a taste of them.

As she continued to move forward, Kakashi continued to crawl back, forcing him to feel a little like he was playing a game of cat and mouse. The intensity of the lust that burned in her aquamarine eyes was a little unnerving even if he was strong and skilled enough that he could easily pin her down. Unfortunately for Kakashi, that was the LAST thing he wanted to do.

"Ino, put your clothes back on." The Jounin repeated, although he had a strong feeling his request was in vain.

"You don't REALLY want me to put my clothes back on Kakashi sensei so stop asking me to." Ino said as she advanced on him, her rear swaying behind her. The silver haired ninja feared that she intended to crawl right into her lap, no doubt ending all resistance against her and having her way with him, possibly right there on the floor.

Suddenly all the anger that had been slowly ebbing away at the sight of her nude body came flooding back. How dare she spread all those rumors about him and then mock him right there in the bar until he had felt obligated to prove her wrong. And then, instead of just admitting she had been mistaken, she had become his personal shadow and followed him everywhere, trying to get him to do something that could get both of them in serious trouble. Didn't she take her profession seriously at all? Didn't she have a little pride in herself as both a ninja AND a woman? Apparently not otherwise she wouldn't be crawling all over his floor like some sex crazed hussy. Well he was sick and tired of it and he wanted to be done; done with her, done with sleepless nights, and done with being practically neurotic because he feared seeing her around every corner. She was going to get out of his apartment now, right fucking now.

He suddenly bolted to his feet, startling the mostly naked kunoichi before him. Without sympathy or hesitation, he grabbed her arm and hauled her to her feet. Her surprised gasp was lost to the sound of her back hitting wall as Kakashi pushed her against it. She stared up at him in shock as he leaned in, trapping her body with his and she could immediately tell that the fire in his obsidian eye was not burning out of passion.

"K-Kakashi?" she stammered uncertainly, some of her confidence draining away at the sight of his anger.

"Shut up and listen to me." He said harshly. "I think I've been quite tolerant of your silly little games and fantasies but you breaking into my house is where you draw the line. I don't care what you think you know about me but you're wrong. I want you to put on your clothes like I asked and get the hell out of my sight."

"Kakashi sensei, you don't really mean—" the kunoichi began with a smile, trying to charm her way out of the situation and into his pants.

"Yes Ino, I do. I mean exactly what I said. I want you gone and I never want to see you stalking me again and I mean that even more than the first one hundred times I've said it."

His words slowly sunk in and Ino felt dizzy with the impact of them. How could this happen? How could he say no to her? Even now her naked breasts were pushed against his chest and that alone should have been enough to make him see things her way. But the anger in his eyes and voice told her that he was clearly not joking and that he indeed wanted her gone, which was so ironic because she could still feel his erection pressing against her stomach.

"Why do you keep lying to yourself?" she practically whispered. "It can't be that I'm so repulsive that you want nothing to do with me, your body has made THAT much clear."

"Never mind." Kakashi said gruffly. "Just leave."

"No! I won't just leave!" the blonde yelled, her own anger rising. "I want to know why you practically raped my mouth the other night and now won't even give me the time of day. I thought men usually waited until AFTER they had slept with the girl to pull something like that."

"You don't know what you're talking about." The older man growled, turning his head away but still keeping her pressed against the wall, his hands placed on the wall on either side of her head effectively caging her in.

Ino could feel his hot breath on her cheek even though his mask and she wished she could see the rest of his face as she made her case. He hid his face from everyone and he hid himself and his true feelings from her. Just once she wanted him to open up and maybe he would start if only she could rip that damn mask away.

"Then please set me straight Kakashi. We are both shinobi and we know we could be killed any day. We aren't likely to live to see second chances. So why…why would you walk away from me?"

Her voice was almost pleading, begging him to reconsider but he would have none of it. His priorities were as they should be, work first and relationships later. Someone should suggest she do the same.

"Because, I take pride in my job." Kakashi said, his voice dangerously low as he turned to meet her eyes once more. "Even though I am a man, first and foremost, I am a ninja. I know this village depends on people like me for its safety and I respect the rules that come with being a Konoha shinobi which is more than I can say for you. Some rules are meant to be broken but the way you have been blatantly pursuing me is disgusting. Try putting half as much effort into your training as a medic as you do in chasing me around and maybe you'll actually catch up to Sakura."

Upon hearing her friend's name, the blonde's eyes narrowed dangerously. "Don't you DARE bring her into this." She hissed. "And how dare you presume to know the first thing about being a medic ninja. I work my ass off every fucking day to prove to everyone that I actually have some value as a shinobi. Things come so easily for Sakura because she's always had perfect chakra control but not me. I have to work twice as hard just to keep from falling further behind so don't you dare think that I'm not giving a hundred percent every day!"

Too angry to be affected by her pity party, Kakashi shot back venomously, "Well, you seem to have plenty of energy left to chase men all day. Why don't you invest that into something at least remotely productive?"

"I thought I was, but now I can see that I was clearly mistaken!"

"What, me?" Kakashi asked with mock surprise. "You mean you were hoping you could get yourself a good lay. Well sorry princess but I have higher standards than that."

At this, Ino exploded in rage, managing to slip her hands between their bodies and push him away from her roughly, sending him back a few paces.

"Why are you acting so hurt? You can't tell me you haven't used countless women for the exact same reason!" she practically screamed, losing herself momentarily to her anger and throwing a punch that might have knocked out a tooth or two had it connected with his mouth as intended.

Kakashi's honed reflexes allowed him to dodge and grab her wrist as it whizzed by his face. He quickly twisted it behind her and kicked her legs out from under her. It was only because of the use of her free arm that Ino was able to catch herself in the push-up position and keep her face from smashing into the hard wooden floor.

"They were all women I had never met before and that I would never see again." Kakashi growled menacingly into her ear as he straddled her body, his weight forcing her down until she was facedown on the ground with one hand still pinned at the small of her back. "Each one knew exactly what I was after and expected nothing more. It was a mutual agreement."

"Is that how you justify your 'use them and loose them' policy?" Ino spat bitterly, wriggling against the hand that held her in attempts to free herself.

"Call it what you want, but honestly, I think you're just angry because you can't handle being rejected." Kakashi sneered, his voice becoming a little crueler with the jab.

The blonde froze momentarily before slowly looking over her shoulder. Kakashi loosened his grip enough to let her roll over so she was on her back and practically nose to nose with him. That fact that she was completely topless seemed to be forgotten as anger radiated off of both of them in waves.

"What did you say?" she said slowly, her eyes narrowed to hard turquoise slits, daring him to repeat himself.

"You heard me." Kakashi smirked beneath his mask. "You can't handle rejection so you have to take it out on me. I'm sure your pretty face and decent body have boys falling all over themselves for you but not me Ino. Even if this is the first time someone has turned you down, it won't be the last, because sooner or later, a man is going to want something deeper than that and that's where you're lacking."

The kunoichi couldn't believe her ears. Has he really called her shallow? Did he really just suggest that she was as only as good as her looks? The fucking asshole didn't know the first thing about her and he had the balls to assess her as nothing more than a good looking bimbo! Without being entirely aware of what she was doing, her hand crept to the kunai holster at his thigh and quick as lighting, she had it in her hand and had every intention of driving it into her shoulder.

The sound of metal on metal filled the room as her kunai struck his. She had forgotten about the kunai he had dropped when he had first laid eyes on her on his bed but apparently he had not. His free hand now held the identical weapon which had blocked her attack.

She tried to force the kunai past his and at least graze his skin but she had no hopes of winning against his superior strength or downward leverage. As she struggled against him, Kakashi actually had he nerve to chuckle at her.

"Don't take it so hard. I'm sure there's someone out there who'd love a quick lay from you."

"You're a bastard." The blond hissed, her voice practically dripping with contempt.

The silver haired shinobi feigned contemplation for a second before smiling. "Yes, I suppose I am, but at least I'm not easy."

The comment was enough make Ino momentarily see red. With a surge of strength she didn't know she had possessed, she managed to shove the larger man off of her and scramble to her feet, kunai still in hand. If Kakashi hadn't recovered so quickly, she might have done some serious damage.

Although her anger made her strong, it also made her careless and he easily sidestepped her lunge, grabbing her wrist in one long fingered hand and squeezing until the bones in her forearm grinded together painfully, causing her to drop the sharpened weapon to the floor.

He swung her around and threw her against the door even rougher than last time, only now she was fighting him like a wildcat, tooth and nail despite her unclothed state. In any other situation Kakashi would have found this amusing but right now he was just plain pissed. Restraining a wrist in each hand so she wouldn't claw his eyes out, he spoke sternly and slowly to her as if reprimanding a naughty child.

"You barge into my life and disregard my every wish for you to leave me alone. You break into my home after I specifically told you I didn't want to see you again. Where in your twisted logic did you think this would make me like you any more?"

"If you were any other man, you would have been grateful for a naked woman on your bed. It makes me wonder if you even like woman at all, or maybe you save it all for your stupid books!"

"Guess I'm not every other man." Kakashi growled. "But then again, you're not exactly a woman either when you act like an immature child. After dealing with a nightmare like you, I wouldn't be surprised if I never wanted to look at a female again. Goodbye Ino, and I hope to the gods above that I never have to look at your face again."

Before the kunoichi could even respond, Kakashi released one of her wrists just long enough grasp the door knob and open the door. With a push from the man in front of her and nothing supporting her back, Ino found herself falling backwards to land on her ass in an ungraceful heap on his porch in the twilight and still almost completely naked. Without even a second glance at her, Kakashi slammed the door in her face.

Realization set in that she was in public in nothing more than a skimpy thong and she immediately crossed her arms over bare breasts.

"Kakashi! You fucking bastard!" she screamed, but then lowered her voice, afraid that yelling might draw attention and she certainly did not want anyone seeing her in her current state. "Kakashi, god dammit, open the door!"

She was answered only with silence and Ino used every ounce of self control to keep herself from kicking down his door on the spot.

"Kakashi, at least give me my clothes you prick!"

On cue, the door was promptly flung open and her garments were hurled into her face before the door slammed shut again. As quickly as she could, the kunoichi pulled on her skirt and her top so the essentials were at least covered. She couldn't believe Kakashi had actually done this to her. Now that she was decent, she began banging on the door in earnest, determined to have the last word with the masked Jounin.

On the other side of the door, Kakashi massaged his temples wearily. He had been sorely tempted to attach an exploding tag to her clothes before tossing them out the door but had refrained. He couldn't believe she had actually tried to stab him with his own kunai. She was literally a time bomb and he had been the lucky one to set her off. The pounding of her fists on the door was beginning to coincide with the pounding in his head and he decided now would be a great time for that shower he had been dreaming of on his way home. In the shower he wouldn't be able to hear her screeching over the running water.

He headed for the bathroom, shedding clothes as he went, not even caring where they fell. He locked the door behind him and cranked on the water viciously and soon the small room was filled with steam.

He couldn't understand why people thought it was strange that most of the woman he fantasized about were characters in his books. How could you stand to deal with the real thing? They were absolutely insane, not to mention downright dangerous. Thanks to the psychotic little blonde, Kakashi wasn't sure if he would ever look at the female species the same way ever again. One thing was for sure though. He wasn't going to try and seduce a real woman for quite some time because, understandably, the incident had left him a little wary of anything with two X chromosomes.

XXXXX

Ino was furious. Ino was irate. Ino couldn't remember being so mad in her entire life. Not even Shikamaru had managed to get her this worked up. Sakura may have called her pig when they were kids but honestly, men were the biggest pigs of all and right now Kakashi Hatake was the king of ALL pigs.

After banging on the Copy Nin's door for a good ten minutes with no answer, she gathered her remaining clothes and stalked down the street towards home. Never in her wildest dreams had she imaged her plan going so wrong. They were supposed to be having hot, passionate sex by now. Yet after today's events, just the thought of the tall, gangly ninja made her want to break things, namely said ninja's neck.

He had insulted her work ethics, her self image, and most importantly, her womanhood and she was not about to let him off lightly. She would make him pay for every self righteous word that escaped his lips. He was so sure that she was a good for nothing gossip? Fine, she would be just that. And he was worried about his reputation being tarnished? Good. She would blacken it.

As she stomped home angrily in the rapidly fading twilight, Ino almost wanted to cackle with maniacal laughter. Oh, she would make him regret what he had done. By the time she was through with him, he would wish he had never even glanced at her that night in the bar. Nobody tossed Ino Yamanaka out the door while she was half naked and got away with it, and she would make damn certain that every woman in the village knew what a bastard he was.


	8. Whispered Words

Naruto and all its characters do not belong to me.

XXXXX

Gossip

Kakashi could feel the burn in his limbs as he pushed his body harder. He was acutely aware of every muscle fiber contracting and stretching as he kicked, blocked and punched. The way he fought his invisible opponent was so graceful and fluid that he almost seemed to be dancing.

The sun shone without mercy, promising another blistering day but still the lone ninja didn't slow down as he focused on the pulling and pulsing of muscle, the feel of the air parting around his hand as he sliced it through empty space towards his invisible opponent. His body was no longer his but a tool of Konoha, a tool that must be kept in top condition and so he worked himself mercilessly until the sweat ran down him in rivers. He only stopped when the sun made the training grounds too hot to continue.

He flopped down in exhaustion under the shade of a tree, though it didn't offer much refuge from the heat. He interlaced his fingers behind his head and stared at the sky in a pose that imitated a certain cloud watching shinobi he knew of. Breathing a sigh, Kakashi felt the tension drain out of him as he forced his body to relax.

Pushing himself like this was going to catch up with him but he couldn't seem to stop. He had always worked extremely hard, but lately he'd been using training as a way to forget everything else. Unfortunately, he couldn't train every waking moment and he had to face reality some time.

Now that he was relaxed, his mind began to drift to other things even when he tried to redirect his train of thought.

How many hours had he spent here training the first and only Gennin team he had ever had? The grounds were filled with memories of the three youngsters and Kakashi smiled slightly beneath his mask.

But despite the fact that he had spent nearly everyday with the trio for years, he hardly ever saw them now. Naruto and Sasuke were both accomplished shinobi and had their hands full with numerous missions. Sakura was usually behind hospital walls unless a specialty mission called her out of the village and Kakashi did his best to avoid the place, infirmaries being last on the list of places he enjoyed. It had been a long time since he had seen any of Team Kakashi in action and he wondered how much their skills had grown in the meantime. The only person he seemed to see on a regular basis anymore was Ino, but Kakashi had a feeling that even she would leave him alone from now on.

Kakashi had been doing his best to forget last night's incident entirely, but now, he allowed himself to turn it over in his mind. She had undoubtedly been in the wrong, breaking into his house and tempting him like that, but there was some truth to what she had said. They were both shinobi and second chances weren't things you could count on getting, because any mission could be their last.

She just wanted to have a good time while she could, which wasn't such a crime, and had decided that he was the one she wanted to have it with. In retrospect, the words he had said to her had been a bit harsh. Hell, he had acted like a complete bastard especially when he had thrown her out the door sans clothes.

It took a lot to make him loose his cool and in his defense, he had asked her to leave several times prior, but he still didn't think that justified his actions. He wasn't really disgusted by her work ethics despite the cruel words he had said. H knew she probably worked very hard, especially when she had to work under someone like Sakura whose talents might even rival the Hokage's. Looking back now, Kakashi felt a little guilt for saying those horrible tings and bringing about the hurt that had been clearly visible on the blonde's face, but at the time he'd just had all he could stand and needed to say something to get her to back off because the sight of her had just been to tempting.

Kakashi closed his eyes and for the first time allowed himself to think of the girl freely. The feel of her beneath him had been heavenly, all soft curves and firm muscle and if his self control had slipped even for a moment, he would have gladly kissed her again until those pouty little lips were bruised and swollen.

Kakashi groaned in exasperation. Why couldn't Ino be a civilian or at the very least, a kunoichi with no relationship to his former student?

Well, either way, it was a moot point. After what he had said to her last night, he doubted she'd ever give he the time of day again which, in a way, had been his exact intention at the time. And yet, he couldn't help but feel a twinge of regret in his chest for alienating a very attractive woman who had only wanted to share his bed for a night and no doubt liven up his sex life which currently consisted of nothing more than paperback books.

Suddenly, the thought of reading the Icha Icha volume stuffed in his kunai pouch didn't seem quite so appealing. Pushing to his feet, Kakashi decided to make his way into town. Iruka had asked him to deliver some paperwork concerning the academy to the Hokage because he couldn't leave the youngsters alone and since Kakashi apparently had nothing better to do than daydream about a certain woman he now would never have, the Cop Nin decided he would help out his friend.

Kakashi stuffed his hands in his pockets and sunk into his usual slumped posture a he headed back into town, blissfully unaware of what lay in store for him.

XXXXX

The first thing that struck Kakashi as odd was the hush that fell over the classroom as he entered. The students that Iruka had been lecturing instantly clammed up as they fixed their wide eyes on the silver haired man. Not once during the time he had helped at the academy was he able to make the children quiet down on command so he wondered what made today so different.

"Ah, Kakashi sensei," Iruka said, putting down his piece of chalk. "I have the documents for you. They're in my office."

After promising bodily pain to anyone who misbehaved while he was gone, the brown haired man led Kakashi down the corridor to a small office on the left.

"Just tell Tsunade that these are from me. She'll know what they are." He said, handing the taller man a plain manila envelope. "Thank you so much for doing this."

The mask wearing man shrugged. "No problem. It's not like we've been flooded with missions anyways."

Iruka's smile faded and his eyebrows knitted in concern as he looked at his friend, leaning against his desk as he did so. "Kakashi, are you sure you're alright?"

The Jounin was a little taken aback by his friend's question. "Of course, why wouldn't I be?"

"Well," Iruka said hesitantly as he absently rubbed the scar on the bridge of his nose. "It's just that….oh never mind. Forget I said anything. I need to get back to class before those kids destroy something else."

The instructor pushed away from his desk and held the door open for Kakashi before following him out and locked it behind him.

As they walked back to the classroom, Iruka seemed unusually quiet, almost awkward around him, something that was very strange for the usually warm and friendly teacher.

As they reached the door, he turned to him, seemingly unhurried by the yelling and laughing of children coming from the other side of the door.

"Kakashi," he said seriously, finally turning to his friend. "If you ever need to talk about anything…well, I'm here…you know…as a _friend_."

Before the Copy ninja could ask what the hell he meant by a statement like that, the brown haired man disappeared behind the door and immediately the sounds of noisy children was replaced by an irate Iruka as he bellowed at the kids to get back in their assigned seats.

A little stunned, Kakashi made his way to the school's main doors, stepping out into the bright sunshine. He wasn't sure what to make of Iruka's remark, or the way he had asked if he was ok. Sure he was ok. He was sore and tired and sleep deprived and sick to death of a certain blonde haired woman while being strangely guilt ridden at the same time because of her but he was ok.

His odd emphasis on the word "friend" didn't escape him either. Hell, everything about Iruka seemed a little off today, although, if Kakashi had to deal with all those children regularly, he was pretty sure he would start to go a little mad as well.

Well, he wouldn't worry about it until later. He could always drag the normally timid man to the local bar and catch up with him there. For now, he would just deliver the documents as promised and enjoy the weather today that was actually cool enough to be bearable.

Taking out his trusty novel, he began walking down the street, enjoying the good story, warm air, and the absence of Ino.

As much as Kakashi was enjoying his book, considering he hadn't been able to focus enough to read much lately, he was still not so oblivious as to let the whisperings around him go unnoticed as he walked down the street towards the Hokage's office. There were hushed murmurs uttered under the breath of countless people and even with his excellent hearing, Kakashi had a hard time picking up what was being said. All he knew is that the closer he got to the source of whispers, they quieter they became until they stopped all together as he walked by, only to resume after he had passed which led him to believe the chatter was about him.

First the suddenly silent room of kids at the academy and now this. Kakashi wasn't sure what was going on but he couldn't help but wonder if word of the events with Ino had circulated. He let his eyes slide to the side to take in an elderly pair of women outside a shop looking down their noses at him disapprovingly. Could those looks be the result of him throwing a mostly naked woman out on her ass? If so, it appeared he was in a lose/lose situation because he could only imagine their faces if he had decided to accept the seductress' offer.

A trio of teenage girls sat eating at the very café he had first overheard Ino vocalizing her opinions of him. They were snickering among one another but fell silent once they caught sight of him and avoided all eye contact until he was safely past before they started giggling behind their hands.

Kakashi strained his ears to hear what they were saying as their hushed whispers started again and managed to pick up a fraction of a sentence.

"…yeah, I would give anything to be in his shoes."

This resulted in another burst of giggles and by then, Kakashi was too far away to hear anymore.

'His shoes' Kakashi pondered, turning the words over and over in his mind. His shoes? Surely they didn't mean HIS shoes. If the whole town DID know about how he had so graciously escorted Ino out of his apartment last night, then the girl's comment didn't make any sense. Why would she want to be in his position? He couldn't imagine why a female with half a heart would wish such a fate on another, unless she's had a serious argument with the blonde which Kakashi could understand since he had experienced first hand just how abrasive the blonde's personality could be.

Leaving the giggling trio behind, the Copy nin continued on his way to the large, dome shaped building in the center of the city, enduring the awkward silences or strange looks he received as he went past. Something was definitely amiss and he couldn't help but feel uncomfortable under the scrutiny of the town's people,

He made his way inside, feeling refreshed by the cooler air that greeted him. The building seemed unusually quiet this morning and the only person he saw on the first floor was a dark haired Chuunin who had been assigned the unfortunate task of mopping the wide expanse of stone floor. Kakashi raised his hand in greeting and gave him a signature "Yo." as he made his way past him to the stairs. Although the young man plastered a smile on his face and wave back, Kakashi thought he had caught another expression on his face before the face smile had been firmly put in place. It almost looked like…disdain?

As he mad his way up the endless stone stairs, Kakashi was growing increasingly perplexed. He was sure he had never spoken to the boy in his life and had only seen him around the village once or twice since he had only recently gained Chuunin rank at the last set of exams. Why would the younger ninja have any reason to dislike him? The Copy Nin's gaze then fell to the book in his hand.

Well, that might do it. Kakashi was well aware that not everyone shared his appreciation for literary porn…and yet, the thought lingered in Kakashi's head that if the young man had heard abut the incident, the fleeting frown might have been because the masked man didn't jump the kunoichi's bones when he had the chance like every other hot blooded male would probably do.

Coming at last to the floor on which the Hokage's office was located, Kakashi made his way down the hallway only to have his path blocked by a large bookcase on its side as two men struggled to move it down a perpendicular corridor.

"Kotetsu, I thought I told you to bring it more to the right." The first ninja grumbled, readjusting his grip on the heavy wooden object.

"Well, maybe if you moved your hair out of you eyes you'd see that it needs to come to MY right, not yours." The second ninja shot back.

Kakashi nearly chuckled at the sight of Izumo and Kotetsu struggling. He did not envy either man for a moment considering they were practically Tsunade's personal slaves. Every time he came by the office she had them performing some menial task and no matter how insignificant it seemed, it was common knowledge that there'd be hell to pay if her orders weren't carried out precisely.

"Excuse me," Kakashi said, ducking under the bookcase. "Do either of you know where the Hokage is?"

"Oh, hey there Kakashi, I didn't even notice you there." Kotetsu chuckled nervously, bringing a hand up to scratch the back of his head sheepishly before he realized he couldn't support the weight of the bookcase with one hand and grabbed it again before it went crashing to the floor.

"The Hokage isn't in at the moment." Izumo answered. Kakashi found it strange that his eyes were darting around nervously, trying to look at everything at once except for the person he was talking to.

"Well, if that's the case, could you leave this on her desk then? Iruka asked me to bring it to her." Kakashi answered, showing the envelope to the man with bandages across the bridge of his nose.

Kotetsu carefully lowered his side of the bookcase and took the envelope from him, pulling the contents out just enough for his eyes to scan the heading.

"Oh, this must be the new Genin teams Iruka sensei put together. I think the Hokage said she wanted this right away."

Izumo nodded in confirmation, the eye not obscured by dark hair finally coming to rest on him. "I think she said she would be at the hospital most of today. It would be best if you took this there yourself."

Kakashi's shoulders visibly slumped as his customary slouch became more pronounced. Damn it, he hated hospitals and made a point to stay as far away as humanly possible from them. He never showed up to his appointed medical exams and if he ran into Tsunade in a clinical setting, she just might force him to have a check up on the spot. Being poked and prodded was not how he had planned to spend his afternoon but if it was unavoidable, then so be it.

"She's working you guys so hard you can't take a little detour over to the hospital?" Kakashi asked hopefully, trying to get out of delivering the package.

"Are you kidding?" Kotetsu scoffed, picking up his end of the bookcase once again. "She told us she wants her whole office feng shuied while she's out today."

"Although, I don't know why that includes us bring in a bookcase from two floors down. It's not like she doesn't have enough books in the room already." Izumo grumbled irritably, grudgingly picking up his end of the solid piece of furniture as well.

Kakashi sighed in defeat. It looked as though a trip to the hospital was unavoidable. Wishing the duo good luck and waving a farewell, Kakashi made his way back down the corridor towards the stairs.

As he departed, he could feel two sets of eyes fixed upon him, practically burning holes in his back. He wondered why neither of them had seemed particularly willing to look him in the eye and yet were staring at his back with unusual intensity. If they indeed had so much work to do shuffling furniture in the Hokage's office, why were they looking at him like he was so damn interesting?

Kakashi trudged down the stairs back to the first floor. The mysterious floor mopper had apparently finished his work and was nowhere in sight. No matter where the masked man went, he seemed to attract strange looks. There was almost no doubt in Kakashi's head that Ino had used her talent for rumor spreading against him. He wondered just how many people she had opened her big mouth to, making him out to be some sort of abusive monster. Well, the damage had been done apparently and he would have no choice but to endure it until the next scandal came along and people had something more interesting to whisper about. Until then, he had a mission to go to the hospital, get in, get out and hope to God that Tsunade didn't decide to make him stay a second longer than he had to.

Flipping open his book but keeping his ears open to the conversations around him, Kakashi began walking towards the hospital, hoping to overhear enough to clue him in to what exactly was circulating around in Konoha, not that he could do much about it. As things were now, he doubted he would ever have to speak much with the teal eyed kunoichi ever again.


	9. Rumor Has It

Naruto is not mine.

XXXXX

Gossip

The familiar smells of antiseptic assaulted Kakashi's nose the moment he entered the hospital, making him cringe inwardly at all the memories of times he had to spend here after particularly bad injuries.

Wasting no time, he made his way to the front desk behind which several white clad employees were working and asked an older woman working there where he might find Tsunade.

"Why hello there Kakashi. What an unexpected…surprise." she said, her winkles becoming more pronounced as her face contorted into an uncertain smile.

The Copy Nin couldn't tell whether the woman was actually happy to see him or not and he guessed that she wasn't really sure either, yet more proof that Ino's handy work was afoot.

"The Hokage is upstairs in the medical study, although she doesn't like being disturbed unless it's for a good reason."

"I was told to deliver this to her personally." The Jounin replied, motioning to the envelope under his arm.

"Oh, I see. Well, the study is on the last floor, fourth door on the left." The woman said politely, nodding in the direction of the stairs.

He thanked the woman and turned to go but stopped when she spoke again.

"Oh, Kakashi sensei, one more thing,"

"Yes?" he said, turning around and fixing his uncovered eye on her.

"It really is a pity you choose a man. I'm sure there are countless pretty girls in this village who could make you very happy."

The Copy ninja only stared at her stupefied for a moment before saying, "I beg your pardon?"

The woman smiled and looked at him knowingly.

"You don't have to hide it now young man, you're not in the closet anymore. I don't know where this man of yours is from but you don't have to sneak around with him in the woods at night. If you've made your choice then you should be proud. Don't hide like you're ashamed, although I must say, I DO disapprove of what you two were DOING in the woods. Next time, keep that sort of thing in the comfort of your own home dear."

Kakashi's head was spinning as he tried to process everything the woman old enough to be his grandmother was saying. He was in the woods? With another man? Doing WHAT?

"I'm sorry, I don't quite follow."

"Oh don't play stupid." The woman teased. "Your secret is out now and the whole village knows you prefer men to the pretty girls we have here although I can't for the life of me understand WHY."

Kakashi was only vaguely aware that the two younger women behind the one he was talking to had stopped filing papers and were listening expectantly to what he was about to say next.

"You mean to say that the whole village thinks that I'm…" Kakashi said calmly, despite the utter chaos that was erupting in his brain.

"Why yes." The woman said as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "I don't know who found out about your little secret but word travels fast in this village. You might as well accept the fact that your orientation is common knowledge now."

Kakashi only stared mutely at the barer of bad news for a moment before whispering darkly, "She's dead, she just doesn't know it yet."

The elderly woman shrunk back from him as she felt waves of murderous intent suddenly pour off his body in waves and the two other women that had been watching went back to their work with renewed fervor, now ignoring the angry ninja completely.

The black cloud hanging over Kakashi was nearly visible as he all but stormed away from the reception desk and towards the stairs.

Everything suddenly made sense now. The quiet classroom, Iruka's emphasis on being friends with him, Izumo and Kotetsu's odd behavior, the giggling girls and scowling old women. All of them had heard Ino's silly little rumors before he had.

He couldn't believe that little blond brat had the nerve to spread such a rumor about him. He had feared that she would go around blabbing about how he had thrown her out on her ass but the reality of it was much worse. She had come up with a completely fabricated story that attacked the very essence of his masculinity.

She had better hope that their paths never crossed again because if he stumbled upon her, he doubted he'd be able to refrain from wringing her lying little neck.

As he stormed onto the landing of the second floor, he paused momentarily as he heard feminine voices coming from the restroom to his right. Judging from their voices, they couldn't be much older than Sakura and Ino.

"…but I can't believe that he was the one on his knees you know? Kakashi sensei seems like the kind of guy who would receive rather than give."

"Yeah well, he didn't seem like the type to be into men either."

Kakashi's anger quickly fizzled out at the shock of hearing the conversation between the two faceless females. Obviously THIS is what the women downstairs had been referring to when she had told him that some things were better left at home. Apparently Ino had not been satisfied in merely spreading word that he was gay. She had gone the extra mile to add that not only was he romping in the woods with a random man, but hinted that he was in fact the bitch in the relationship. He had to hand it to her, she was thorough in her mess making, and that skill was precisely why he currently wanted her dead.

The anger that had so quickly dissipated began to churn anew, the angry black clouds now forming around him made his previous fit look like a spring shower.

The pair of voices grew louder as they emerged from the rest room, still chatting about the latest Konoha scandal, both completely unaware that the topic of their conversation was listening in.

"It's just kind of disappointing that I'll never get to see underneath that mask of his now that I know he's into men. He'd probably gorgeous too."

"Well, I don't care what you say. It gets me hot just thinking about him sucking another man's…"

The speaker stopped mid sentence when she came face to face with a Kakashi that was so furious, steam was practically coming out his ears.

If the Copy nin hadn't been so angry, he would have found the stupefied faces of the brunette and red headed women amusing, their faces turning a violent red that contrasted starkly against their pristine white uniforms.

"K-Kakashi sensei…"one stammered

The enraged shinobi looked at one girl and then slowly turned to the other. At a glance, he seemed to be perfectly calm but he was practically vibrating with barely contained rage, his body strung so tight with tension that it was ready to snap at any moment.

"I don't suppose you could tell me where you heard this information from." He said through clenched teeth, his visible eye burning with an intensity that caused both women to wilt under his stare.

"I-it's all over the building Kakashi-sensei. I heard it this morning from more than one source." The brunette spoke up meekly, trembling like a rabbit in the lair of a wolf.

"Is that so?" the masked man said darkly, his rage barely disguised by his façade of calm, cool composure.

"It's not true is it?" the red head asked despite the ninja's terrifying expression, no doubt eager to gleam more juicy bits of gossip from the actual source despite the danger of provoking an angry shinobi.

"No, it's not true." Kakashi answered, his tone icy enough to make the hallway feel a few degrees colder.

"Aww really?" the brunette said dejectedly, obviously a little sad to have her bubble containing her man on man fantasy suddenly burst.

"Really." The Copy ninja replied with a finality that left no room for argument. "Now if you'll excuse me…"

Kakashi turned to continue back up the stairs to the top floor, in search of the Hokage or possibly an explosive note to paste to the forehead of a certain kunoichi. Hell, he was ready to slap one on his own cranium for that matter. And just when he thought things couldn't get any worse, the dark haired staff member behind him just had to open her mouth.

"I'm sorry to hear about your test results! But then again, it doesn't really matter does it? I guess—ouch!"

She was cut off by a swift elbow in the ribs from her red haired counterpart.

"Shut up!" She hissed. "You can't just go around saying things like that! Test results are supposed to be kept confidential."

"But everyone in the office knows by now." the brunette whined, rubbing her side with a pout.

"What test?" Kakashi practically growled, drawing himself up to his full height for once as he glowered down at the poor, trembling girls.

"Th-the m-medical exam you t-took recently." The brunette practically whimpered as she shrunk away from him and his barely contained fury.

"Yeah, the sample came back showing sterility," the red head chimed in, not quite as intimidated by Kakashi's glare as her partner. "But since you like guys anyway it doesn't really make a difference."

Kakashi's eyebrow twitched almost imperceptibly at her words. His brain was so overloaded that sorting out the meaning of what the pair was telling him was proving to be very difficult, but he had a feeling whatever it was would be nothing but news.

"What sample?" he said coolly and evenly, his spine ridged in a rare display of proper posture.

A pink tinge bloomed in the dark haired girl's cheeks as she answered, despite the fact that she was still looking at him fearfully. "Oh, well…it w-was—"

"All I can say is that it's a good thing you weren't planning on making any kids." The red head laughed, scratching the back of her head and trying to make light of the situation.

Sample. Results. Kids. Not planning on them?? The words jumbled in his brain gradually began to sink in and comprehension finally dawned on him.

"Y-you mean I'm…" Kakashi trailed off, becoming wide eyed with surprise as his anger was again forgotten.

"Sterile." The red head finished for him. "You look awfully surprised. Didn't anybody send you a printout of the test results?"

Kakashi could only stand there gaping, looking for all the world like he was trying his hardest to impersonate a fish. There was no way Ino had gone so far…was there?

"K-Kakashi sensei?' the brunette asked. "You received them right? Don't tell me you're hearing this for the first time."

The Copy Nin couldn't believe it. Just when he thought Ino had insulted him to the very core, she found a way to twist the knife a little bit deeper. Spreading the word that he was gay had been cutting but somewhat childish. Telling everyone that he was shooting blanks was even worse and would be infinitely harder to disprove. It was true that he indeed hadn't planned on having children so he supposed it really didn't matter but somehow, the thought of being infertile offended his manhood even more than the thought of not being attracted to women in the first place.

"I never took that test." Kakashi said so quietly that the girls almost didn't hear him.

"What? But it's required of all men during their yearly exams." The red head replied.

"I haven't had an exam for over two years." The shinobi replied and there was something in his tone that made the girls step back another step. He was calm and composed, but his voice was low and deadly and his normally placid black eye had taken on a malevolent glint.

"Kakashi sensei…that's against Konoha regulations." The brunette squeaked, afraid to anger him further.

Ino was dead. He would kill her bare handed and he would love every minute of it. Kakashi ground his teeth as red tinted his vision. He didn't relish death, nor did he take pleasure in causing it, but today, he would gladly strangle the little blonde bitch.

Without another word, the Copy Nin turned on his heel and stormed away, leaving to very perplexed females in his wake.

"Wait! We could examine you right now if you want!" the red head called after him, but if Kakashi heard her, he did nothing to acknowledge it and soon he was gone from sight.

"You would actually try and examine him? Wow you're brave." Her friend muttered after he was gone.

"Are you kidding?" the red head said incredulously. "With a body like that, I'd love to get my hands on him. I don't care WHAT gender he's in to!"

"Yeah, and maybe you'd finally get to see under that mask after all." The brunette teased.

"I wish." The red head said dreamily before snapping herself out of whatever fantasy she had concocted. "But I heard today that he's actually pretty darn ugly under that thing. That's why he wears it all the time. Come on, we should get back to work."

"He's ugly? That's such a waste." The brunette sighed as she followed her companion back down the hall and away from the stairs that the masked man had used to make his getaway.

XXXXX

Few things could make Kakashi Hatake so mad that he lost his wits completely. In the shinobi profession, letting down your guard could result in certain death and the great Copy ninja was notorious for being aware of every detail of his surroundings. However, today was turning out to be the day when all his carefully cultivated shinobi training went right out the window to be replaced with blind rage.

The manila envelope under his arm was all but forgotten as he stomped up the stairs to yet another floor. How many levels did this damn building have anyway? It certainly didn't look this big from the outside. He was vaguely aware that he was supposed to make it to the top floor and find the fourth door but it was becoming increasingly difficult to remember that when every floor seemed to have a new rumor to fan the flames of his anger.

More than once he had heard someone on the stairs either above or below him whispering to another about the Copy Nin although he never really got to hear much before they realized he was in the stairwell and clammed up completely, hurrying to their destinations and avoiding all eye contact with the silver haired Jounin.

But the pieces he DID hear echoed in his head. He didn't know how much more he could take of "Did you hear—" and "I can't believe he—" and "What?! He seriously did that?". The snippets left him to imagine just what Ino had said about him and the more he pondered, the more furious he became until all thoughts of finding the Hokage were forgotten.

He continued to storm forward driven only by his anger although he no longer had a destination in mind. When he finally reached the top floor, he made his way down the hall in long strides and yanked open the fourth door on the right although he couldn't exactly remember what was supposed to be on the other side of it.

Without bothering to knock, Kakashi flung open the door and felt his breath catch in his throat as his single black eye met twin orbs of aquamarine.

Sitting at a table in the middle of the room was the very woman who had transformed his life into a living hell. She sat demurely with a medical journal spread out before her, completely unconcerned with all the trouble she had caused for him.

The blonde's eyebrow lifted in surprise at seeing him enter the room so suddenly, but other than that, the only change in her expression was a humorless smile that spread slowly over her lips.

Her voice was civil enough but there was a chilling edge to her voice that let him know her greeting was anything but friendly.

"Hello Kakashi sensei."

The manila envelope in Kakashi's hand fell to the floor as he managed to utter a single coherent word through his anger, his voice reduced to a growl of malice and rage as the syllable passed his lips.

"You…"


	10. Poking Fun and Fessing Up

Naruto is not mine.

XXXXX

Gossip

"You…"

Of all the rotten luck…he just HAD to run into HER of all people. There was no doubt about it; the gods above were having a good laugh at his expense. And the way she had greeted him so calmly, so coolly, it was enough to make him see red.

He pointed an accusing finger at the blonde and was just about to open his mouth to promise a horribly painful death to the evil vixen when another voice stopped him short.

"Kakashi sensei, is that you? Wow, what a surprise to see you here. Usually the only way to get you inside a hospital is to drag in your unconscious body."

The Copy Nin's eye widened as he froze. He should have known the two of them would be together at work and he was suddenly grateful for his initial loss for words. If he had ripped Ino a new one in front of his former student, it would no doubt leave him with some explaining to do. As it was he was having a hard enough time biting back his hostility and trying to act normal now that he knew Sakura was in the room.

"H-hello Sakura" Kakashi said, still slightly surprised at her presence.

The pink haired medic had come from a part of the study not visible from the entryway and was now eyeing him quizzically, readjusting a stack of anatomy books in her arms.

"Sensei, why are you pointing at Ino like that?"

The Jounin realized he hadn't moved since Sakura had first spoken, his finger still jabbed in the blonde's direction and his mouth gaping open to speak the death threats that had dried up on the tip of his tongue. He must look like a big idiot standing there like that and apparently the woman in the chair found his stupidity amusing as her lip curled into a smirk.

Kakashi closed his mouth with a snap and finally lowered his finger as he bent down to pick up the piece up the envelope he had dropped.

"Oh, no reason, I was just surprised to see her in here since I was expecting to find the Hokage in here." He replied hastily. While the statement wasn't a lie, it wasn't exactly the whole truth either, but he was pretty sure that neither he nor the blonde wanted to disclose the entire story.

"Tsunade is across the hall." Sakura said slowly, knowing immediately that her ex teacher was suddenly acting very funny. "Are you sure you're all right?"

"Fine, fine, it's just that hospitals make me a little nervous." Kakashi said as he straightened, giving Sakura a happy eye crease that looked a little forced.

"Oh, but I'm sure there are worse things than hospitals," Ino said, finally speaking up. The smirk on her lips was still present as her aquamarine gaze pierced him coldly. "Like being thrown out on the street without clothes for instance, that would just be horrible, wouldn't it Sakura?"

The pink haired woman's gaze shifted from her best friend to her former sensei and immediately it felt as if the room's temperature had dropped several degrees thanks to the icy stares they were exchanging. She noticed Kakashi's hands clench a little, slightly wrinkling the documents he supposedly was bringing to Tsunade and the smile on Ino's face had turned a little too sugary, not matching her glaring eyes at all. The tension between them was suddenly so great that Sakura swore she could feel it pressing down upon her as she responded to her friend's question hesitantly. "Yes, I suppose that would be horrible."

Another moment ticked by, the room shrouded in uncomfortable silence as Sakura's eyes darted between the two in utter confusion. She was a highly intelligent woman and the cogs in her brain were already rapidly turning, analyzing and trying to figure out what the heck had transpired between these two. Any one could see they obviously didn't care for each other at the moment, the daggers they were throwing with their eyes proved that easy enough, but what was the cause? As far as Sakura knew, the two of them weren't even that well acquainted. Ino was melodramatic and Sakura had known her long enough to see her like this on other occasions, usually when a boyfriend did something to piss her off, but Kakashi? Kakashi was laid back and lazy and she had only really seen him mad when fighting off enemies in front of her back when she was a Genin, so what could her friend have possibly done to get him so upset? Sakura wasn't sure she wanted to know.

"Well, Kakashi sensei, you should run along now don't you think? You shouldn't keep the Hokage waiting." Ino said coolly, never letting her frosty stare waver.

The silver haired man was only too happy to duck out of the room before he lost his cool and smashed her pretty little face in right in front of his former student. As he turned to go, the blonde called out one more thing.

"Oh, and I hear you have some test results waiting for you downstairs. Talk to one of the nurses about it.'

Kakashi immediately went rigid at her snide remark. He didn't need to ask what test she was speaking of because he had already been bombarded by her fabricated rumors on his way up the stairs and apparently she knew it.

He slowly turned to look over his shoulder and sure enough, she was sitting there with an expression that was entirely too smug. The sight of her made his blood boil and for a moment, he let his chakra control slip, filling the room with overwhelming waves of murderous intent.

Both women gasped softly as they felt the anger roll off of him as he gave Ino a poisonous look that might have killed a lesser woman. The soft sounds of their surprise brought Kakashi back to himself and he clamped the lid down on his emotions firmly, hoping nobody else had sensed his distress. But even as he turned to make a hurried exit, he couldn't help but feel a small amount of satisfaction at the fact that Ino's smug look had been replaced by one that was almost fearful. Unfortunately, Sakura was sporting the same expression and he knew it was foolish to hope she would remain unaware of the tension between the two of them. She was intelligent and persistent, just like her best friend, and now that they had aroused suspicion, there was no telling what she might do. Well, whatever it was, he would make sure she wasn't going to do it while he was in the room.

Without another word, he slipped out of the room and shut the door behind him and walked a little ways down the hall to the door he hoped the Hokage was behind.

Placing the manila envelope back under his arm, he lifted his hand and rapped lightly on the door with his knuckles, not wanting to barge in if the buxom blonde was in the middle of something important.

"Come in." a strong, feminine voice called and the Jounin immediately obeyed.

"Ah, Kakashi, what brings you here?" Tsunade asked from behind a large wood desk, lifting her honey colored eyes from the numerous medical documents spread out before her.

"Iruka sensei asked me to bring this to you." he said simply, handing her the envelope before stuffing both hands deep in his pants pockets and settling into his usual slouch.

Tsunade's eyes briefly scanned the papers she pulled from the envelope and gave a nod of understanding before turning her attention back to the Copy Nin.

"Thank you for these. I wasn't expecting to get them so fast."

Kakashi shrugged lazily and prepared to make an exit but Tsunade's voice stopped him.

"One more thing," she said with a sly smile that he wasn't sure he liked. "It wouldn't happen to be YOUR enraged chakra signature I felt just a moment ago, would it?"

The Hokage propped her elbows on the desk and rested her chin on interlaced fingers, looking at the Sharingan user expectantly. Kakashi knew there was no use in lying since she obviously already knew it was him, the mischievous gleam in her eyes told him so.

"Yes, it was me." He sighed in defeat, his shoulders rolling forward to exaggerate his slouch even more.

"And what's the cause for such anger, I wonder, especially from someone as level headed as you Kakashi?" she continued fixing warm eyes on him expectantly.

The Copy Nin opened his mouth to respond but nothing came out so he snapped his mouth shut again. Did he really want to describe this real life drama to the Hokage? Kakashi didn't think he did, especially when it involved one of her medics.

"Perhaps you had a falling out with your boyfriend?" Tsunade supplied helpfully, tapping a manicured finger to her lips as if in deep thought. "I heard you and your mystery lover met in the forest recently. Did things not go as planned?"

His droopy eye widened in shock, an expression he was getting a lot of use out of today. Not her too! Had Ino's rumors already reached the ears of the Hokage? Well if SHE knew, everyone must know, maybe even Sakura, although she seemed to cover up any surprise at the news fairly well during their recent encounter.

"Hokage, you can't possibly think that I'm…"

"Well why wouldn't I? It makes perfect sense. You're odd gravitation towards Jiraiya's ridiculous books would make the perfect cover up wouldn't it? You read them all the time and seem to have women on the brain but in actuality, you never actually were after women at all were you?"

"No, that's not it!" Kakashi said desperately, trying his hardest to defend his tarnished name against the amused woman in front of him.

"Now, now Kakashi, there's no need to be ashamed." Tsunade smiled. "I've known many great male shinobi that happen to prefer men over women."

"But I'm not one of them." He growled, growing increasingly frustrated with the situation.

Tsunade clucked her tongue in admonishment as she shook her head. "Nothing good ever comes from denial. Now that everybody knows, you can embrace who you are openly."

This woman seemed to only hear what she wanted to at the moment. She'd said "everyone knew", but that didn't make it any more true…and just what did she mean by "everyone" anyway?

"Define "everyone"." Kakashi said, voicing his thoughts aloud, crossing his arms in front of him as he grew defensive.

"Well…everybody" She said simply.

"That doesn't really help."

"Well, the whole village is talking about it. Your name is the only thing that seems to come in conversation today and there's quite a bit of speculation as to who your mystery lover could be."

"Yeah, I figured as much." Kakashi said, dropping his arms to his sides as if they weighed too much to hold up. What the hell did Ino do to spread the word so fast? Send out a newsletter? Put a Post-It note on every door? She had a real talent for spreading bullshit, a little too much in his humble opinion.

"Why, I even heard that some of the shinobi I sent to the Sand village heard about it before they even reached Konoha's gates. It will only be a matter of time before every shinobi village knows about your preferences."

"No." Kakashi said in disbelief.

"Oh yes!" Tsunade answered a little too gleefully. "Can you imagine it? The famous Copy ninja Kakashi Hatake will have a little note penciled in next to his picture in every Bingo Book around."

The woman held up her fingers to form quotation marks as she spoke. "Warning: likes men."

"I don't like men!" Kakashi reiterated in a voice loud enough that anyone right outside the door might have been able to easily hear.

"Pish posh" Tsunade said flippantly. "But I'll have you know, many of the village's young women are heart broken after hearing the news. You have quite a following just dying to see under that mask of yours. And to think all this time the lucky one you would choose to expose it to would be another man…"

"But I'm not like that." he practically pleaded. He was by no means oblivious to the looks and smiles he would often get from the females of the village. All ages of women seemed to gravitate towards him and the mysteriousness that surrounded him and while he really had no intention of taking advantage of their admiration any time soon, the thought of all of them giving up on him because they believe no amount of eye batting and lip biting would ever get them anywhere was a little disheartening.

"It's such a shame, really. I suppose there's no hope now of little Hatake's running around the village once you found a nice girl and settled down somewhat."

Ok, was she trying to sound like a mother in law on purpose, just to annoy him, or was she seriously so delusional to think he would ever give up his shinobi life style in favor of a family?

"But Hokage, I never actually wanted—"

"Oh but it's all right I suppose." Tsunade said lightly, apparently not interested in hearing Kakashi's clarification. "There's nothing wrong with being gay."

"I AM NOT GAY!" Kakashi cried, incredibly flustered after all of the top heavy blonde's distressing comments. He figured everyone on this floor had just heard what he shouted, including Sakura and Ino, but he didn't care. Hell, if anything, maybe it would help reverse the rumor. All he wanted was to convince one person, this one single person that he was into women. Because in her current state of mind, he wouldn't be surprised if she took it upon herself to play match maker and bring him a nice boy to "befriend".

"Yes I know you're not." Tsunade beamed, unfazed by his outburst. "I just wanted to have a little fun with you, that's all."

Kakashi stared at her for a moment in utter disbelief before hanging his head in defeat. He could practically feel the huge sweat drop running down the back of his head.

"You're too much." He groaned. "So you knew it was a rumor all along?"

"Of course," Tsunade said a little indignantly, as if he had just insulted her intelligence. "I think I know you better than that Kakashi."

She began to shuffle through the mass of papers on her desk in attempts to organize them, her gaze momentarily shifting away from Kakashi as he considered her words.

"So…" he ventured cautiously, afraid of how she might answer his upcoming question. "What else did you hear?"

The honey eyed woman paused in her work to gaze out at nothing in particular as a slight smile formed on her mouth. The Copy Nin immediately felt that that smile meant bad news.

"I've heard a great many things actually, but I think my favorite one has to be your secret crush on Gai and how you know such forbidden love could never prosper here so you deny it."

Kakashi had to repress the urge to vomit.

"You can't be serious."

"I'm quite serious." The busty blonde chuckled. "In fact, I've heard stories that the reason you two are such rivals is your deep and hidden love for him and your mystery man in the forest has grown quite jealous of it."

He was not hearing this. He refused to believe it. Kakashi pressed a palm to his forehead and groaned.

"Just for the record, you know not a word of that is true right?"

"Oh course." Tsunade said, resuming her shuffling. "You may be odd Kakashi but you're not insane."

"Yeah, but what the hell am I supposed to tell him next time I see him?"

"Tell him that things could never work between you two and you don't find green spandex the least bit alluring."

"Funny." Kakashi grumbled irritably.

"Don't worry so much." Tsunade said, waving a hand dismissively. "In a few days, something more interesting than your homosexuality will make its way through the rumor mill and all of this will be forgotten. Until then—"

"My life is a living hell." Kakashi interjected bitterly, rolling his eyes skyward in hopes that maybe, just maybe, someone up there would mercifully put him out of his misery.

"Oh stop feeling so sorry for yourself." The tawny eyed woman smirked. "Self pity does not become you."

The elite ninja sighed dejectedly and at that moment, wanted nothing more to be back within the protection of his apartment, away from the whispers and stares of the villagers. Maybe if he went to bed and didn't wake up for a week, this would all be over.

"Is that all Hokage?" Kakashi asked wearily, ready to make his exit and return swiftly home.

"Almost" Tsunade said, settling back in her chair and crossing her arms over her ample chest. "I just have one more question."

"Hmm…?"

"What exactly did you do to her?"

"I…what…?" Kakashi stuttered, totally caught off guard by her question.

His reaction seemed to only amuse the woman further. She smiled knowingly at him as she continued.

"I am not a fool Kakashi. I know my shinobi better than you might think and no one but the Yamanaka girl could have spread so many ridiculous rumors so efficiently. I also know that she wouldn't do something like this without the proper motivation."

Kakashi had to fight the urge to fidget nervously under the buxom blonde's scrutinizing stare and to his credit, he managed to maintain his usual cool exterior.

"So my question to you now is, what did you do to her Kakashi? I didn't think girls like her were your type."

"I didn't do anything." He answered stubbornly, matching her stare with his own.

"Nothing at all…?"

"Well…"

"Spill it Kakashi."

"I…we kissed."

"Oh?" The Hokage replied, one golden eyebrow arching gracefully.

"And after that she seemed to take it upon herself to follow me everywhere I went, constantly trying to get more than a kiss from me." Kakashi growled, getting angry at the mere memory of it.

"Is that so? It must have been some kiss." Tsunade mused from her chair.

"I don't know what her problem is. She even broke into my house last night but I threw her out and now she has this vendetta against me." The silver haired Jounin groaned, running his hand absently through the already messy strands.

"And that's why she's mad at you, because you threw her out?"

"Yes."

"Is that the only reason?"

"Well she…she wasn't really wearing much when I kicked her out…" Kakashi trailed off in an uncharacteristic display of nervousness brought on by the woman before him that could easily snap him in two.

"You threw her out onto the street while she was naked?" Tsunade asked, surprised that the man before her would do such a thing.

"I'm not the one who took off her clothes." Kakashi said defensively, fisting his hands at his sides. "She had already stripped by the time I got home and was sitting on my bed and—"

"My dear Kakashi," Tsunade interrupted with an irrepressible laugh. "I can't believe you managed to get Ino to try and seduce you. I thought she only had eyes for the Uchiha."

Seeing Kakashi's lips turn down beneath the mask peaked her curiosity even further.

"So why didn't you let her stay until morning, or at least let her put her clothes back on before you tossed her out?"

"I didn't touch her if that's what you think." He growled. "And I'm a little surprised that you're endorsing this behavior Hokage. I would have thought you'd frown on that sort of thing."

"What do you mean Kakashi? She's a pretty girl and both of you are shinobi. There are too many uncertainties that come with the life of a ninja so why not take what you can while you can get it?"

The usually composed man felt his jaw go slack beneath his mask; had he heard right? Was Tsunade, the one he thought would be most upset with the situation, actually approving such a fling?

"B-but she's so young…" Kakashi breathed, trying to justify his decision to the honey eyed blonde.

The older woman simply smirked at him as she stood from her chair to look out the large window behind her.

"Quit being so old fashioned Kakashi. You're hardly ancient and Ino is a lot more grown up than you would like to think. She's strong and smart, just like Sakura."

"But…the best friend of my former student…" Kakashi sputtered, still not believing what he was hearing. "Won't that get the villagers talking? It seems…wrong."

Tsunade chuckled heartily without turning back to face him, her hands clasped behind her back.

"The village does not center around you, you know. There are far too many shinobi who constantly…let's say indulge themselves for the village to be concerned with one more fling. You're a good ninja Kakashi, one of the best, and the people of Konoha will remember that over all else. I mean, look at Genma. He's the world's biggest womanizer and yet he is not shunned in the least. I honestly didn't expect such thinking from you. Even though you're a weapon of this village, you are not a machine and should enjoy a little fun during this quiet time while you can."

The Copy Nin still had not picked his jaw up off the floor and simply stood gaping at the Leaf Village's leader. While his face remained stupidly blank, his mind was in over drive. If what she said was true, then that means all his self control, all his anguish and frustration was all for nothing. He could have jumped her bones last night and had his way until she was too tired and sore to attempt another go with him for at least a week. He could have showed that presumptuous little witch just how much he knew about pleasing a woman and most of all, he could have prevented all these rumors from being spread. Unfortunately for him, he had done none of these things and he was now the topic of all of Konoha for the worst possible reasons and worst of all, he still hadn't felt that silky skin or heard her pleasured gasps. Life was most definitely ironic, cruel and unfair.

"Well, I think my time for enjoyment with her has come and gone. After what happened last night, I don't think she'll ever speak to me again." Kakashi said, finally regaining enough of his senses to respond with a somewhat intelligent sounding sentence.

"A pity" The Hokage answered, finally turning away from the window to regard him evenly. Her face softened a little when she saw how dejected he looked and Tsunade could hardly believe the once proud ninja had been reduced to this by one manipulative woman. While Ino's antics had amused her to no end, she could understand his distress. This would take a while for him to live down and in the mean time, he had to face people he knew with his head held high.

"Do you want me to talk to her?" The Hokage offered. "I could see if she could put that big mouth of hers to use and do some damage control."

Kakashi shook his head and straightened slightly.

"No. It's fine. Worse things have happened and there's nothing monumental at stake."

Except maybe his dignity and his pride of course.

"I'll just tell people myself the rumors aren't true and word will eventually get around."

"All right" Tsunade nodded, understanding his wish to get through this without the blonde medic's intervention. She had already done enough and the last thing he probably wanted was help from the girl who set out to socially destroy him in the first place. "You're free to go."

Kakashi turned and made for the door, throwing up a hand over his shoulder in a silent farewell with the same careless air he often had about him. Tsunade wasn't sure whether to laugh or sympathize with the poor Jounin. The thought of a naked Ino on his bed trying to get into his pants while Kakashi fought his hardest to restrict her was hilarious, but at the same time, rather sad. A man needed more in his life than dirty books didn't he?

Within minutes, she could see the silver headed man exit the building and walk out into the sunshine below her. For his sake, she hoped all facts pertaining to his sexuality, fertility and love life were set straight soon. She also couldn't help but hope that maybe, just maybe, fate would give the two a second chance now that Kakashi knew the young temptress wasn't forbidden. As different as they were, she could see them being good together, even if it was just a fling, and hell, if nothing else, the sex would probably be great with all those books of Jiraiya's he read.

Shaking her head with a smile, Tsunade sat back down at her desk and resumed organizing the never ending stack of papers. What she wouldn't give to be young again.


	11. A Smart Ass and a Dumb Ass

Obligatory disclaimers go here! Weee! I don't own Naruto and make no money from this story. This story can and probably will be found offensive so read at your own risk. I like smut. I like reading smut. I like writing smut. Expect smut…but not in this chapter ;)

Oh em gee! Another chapter at last. Sorry it took so long but it took longer than expected to get back into the swing of things after returning from Japan which was AMAZING by the way! Oh, and I bought Ultimate Ninja 2 which is now my new favorite game and have been attending to that rather than my writing. ::sigh::

XXXXX

Gossip

As soon as her former teacher shut the door behind him, Sakura turned around with her hands on her hips to regard her friend seriously.

"You mind telling me what the hell THAT was all about?"

Ino shrugged casually in her seat, but the pink haired kunoichi noticed that she was purposefully averting her eyes.

"You can't honestly think I'm stupid enough to believe that nothing is going on between you two." Sakura said her voice now edged with anger. "He looked like he was ready to kill you on the spot before I intervened."

"Maybe he's just having a bad day." Ino responded moodily, shifting her attention to examine a recently manicured hand instead of meeting her friend's gaze.

"Yeah, a bad day that YOU probably had a hand in causing, because I don't think I've ever seen him so mad."

Sakura noticed her friend wince slightly at her words and knew she had hit the nail on the head. Ino was definitely guilty of something, but Sakura wasn't exactly sure what of.

When the blonde didn't offer up any information, the green eyed woman began tapping her foot impatiently.

"Well?" She prompted.

"Look, it's his fault!" Ino finally exploded, looking her friend in the eye at last. "If he hadn't kissed me at the bar, then I wouldn't have—"

"He did WHAT?!"

Instantly, Ino deflated a little in her seat. She hadn't meant to let that particular detail slip and, now that she had, she would no doubt have to explain her way out of this situation, which could prove to be difficult. Sakura could be as ruthless as Ibiki sometimes when it came to interrogation.

"Well, when we went to the bar together the other night, we ran into each other in the hallway and he sort of…well, kissed me." She said, omitting certain details of the story as she saw fit. She wasn't stupid after all; she did want to actually LIVE after this conversation was over.

Sakura could only stare with her mouth agape. She had been friends with this girl since they were kids and she had thought she knew her pretty well. Apparently, she had been mistaken. Although Ino's promiscuous nature was no secret, she was having a hard time imagining Kakashi falling prey to her flirtatiousness. However, she distinctly remembered finding Ino practically tangled up in the arms of her ex sensei when she had gone looking for her that night. He had said she had had too much to drink, but now she was starting to doubt that story. Well, whatever had started then had obviously turned sour judging by the way they were staring each other down like they meant to fight to the death on the spot. Regardless, the thought of Ino and Kakashi having any sort of relationship of the sexual variety was so…nauseating.

If she hadn't been her best friend and if he hadn't been her ex sensei, things might not have been so bad. But, in Sakura's eyes, the thought of them together seemed a little wrong.

"What the hell did you guys…no, never mind. I don't even want to know." Sakura said, cutting herself off mid sentence. "What I DO want to know is what exactly you did to make him so angry at you."

"Well, you see…" Ino said, her gaze settling to her lap where her fingers were twisting against each other nervously. "For me to tell you that, I'd have to tell you what we did and…"

Sakura could only imagine what exactly they did and she decided she'd rather be on the receiving end of Naruto's Rasengan than hear the graphic details.

"Damn it Ino, I don't need a play-by-play! Just tell me what you did to piss him off!" She growled irritably, the vein in her forehead beginning to pulse as she grew more and more aggravated with the blonde in front of her.

"Look, I didn't do anything to him that he didn't deserve!" Ino yelled, standing up and slamming her palms face down on the table as her anger grew to meet her friend's. "I just…"

Although her turquoise eyes burned brightly as she met her gaze with defiance, Sakura could see something hidden deep within them, something that looked a little like loneliness, or maybe even regret.

The pink haired kunoichi watched her friend's rage dissipate as quickly as it had come as she wilted back into her chair, eyes dropping back into her lap.

"You just?" Sakura prodded, a little more gently this time.

"I just…you know, said some things about him to a few people, that's all." Ino said, shrugging it off and forcing a smile as if the whole situation didn't matter when obviously it did.

"In other words, you've been spreading big fat rumors about him." Sakura groaned, knowing full well how capable the blonde was when she put her mind to it. She had seen the full extent of her wrath when she had used it on ex boyfriends, spewing verbal abuse to their faces and lies behind their backs that were so terrible, they had no choice but to slink off with their tails between their legs. Surely Kakashi's skin was thicker than those unfortunate men, but Ino must have taken that into account as she wove together her elaborate fabrications.

"Like I said, he deserved it." The purple clad ninja sulked, pushing her bottom lips into a pout and resting her chin on the knee she had drawn up under her.

"Ino, you can't just go around saying things about Kakashi! Unlike your brainless boyfriends, he has a duty to this village and a reputation to keep. You had better be thankful he is so highly regarded in Konoha because you might have ruined him otherwise!"

It was becoming more and more apparent to Sakura how much she had changed since asking Tsunade to train her as a medic nin and how much Ino had not. There was a time when she too was impulsive and moody, but she had grown out of that for the most part. Ino, on the other hand, still clung to her childish games and petty plans for revenge.

Since she had been so caught up in her work, shutting herself up inside the hospital all day, she hadn't caught word of any unflattering things being said about the Copy Nin and she figured she should probably be grateful for it. That left her to imagine the extent of her bitter friend's handy work and, given her track record, she knew it couldn't be good.

As Ino continued to sulk in her chair, Sakura took a deep breath to keep from shouting as she walked over and put her hands on the table, regarding her seriously.

"Look, I don't know what you said about him and I don't WANT to know. But I DO know that you owe Kakashi an apology for what you did."

"What?"

It was Ino's turn to be surprised as her head snapped around to face Sakura, her blonde hair whipping behind her.

"You heard me. Apologize to him."

"But I can't apologize!" she whined. "If I go to apologize, I'll actually have to SEE him and I never want to look at that man again!"

The vein in Sakura's forehead pulsed violently as she tried to keep from throttling her childish friend.

"Ino, you live in the same village as him and work in the same profession. How the hell do you plan on hiding from him the rest of your life? You two could be assigned on a mission together tomorrow, for all I know, and it's important that you at least be on speaking terms with him."

"But I can't—"

"Get over your pride! It's your own fault you're in this mess and don't even try to pin it on Kakashi. You're the one who spread the rumors."

"Yeah, but—"

"Ino"

The blonde winced again at her friend's stern tone. She knew there was no way out of this now that Sakura had found out and as much as she hated the idea of talking to him again, she would have to go see Kakashi and tell him she was sorry.

"Can I do it tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.

"No. You're doing it as soon as you get off work because tomorrow you are going to spend the day doing damage control. I want you to do everything you can to get the word around that everything you said was complete and utter bullshit."

"You can't be serious."

"I'm very serious." Sakura said coldly.

"But it's my day off!"

Sakura grit her teeth. She couldn't help but feel like a parent trying to reason with a troublesome child. If this was what motherhood was all about, she would remain happily childless for the rest of her life.

"The sooner you fix this mess, the sooner you can enjoy your day off." Sakura said simply, pushing away from the table and walking back over to her workspace where she had been before Kakashi had come barging in.

Ino groaned, tipping her chair back on two legs as she searched her brain desperately for a way to avoid having to see the Copy Nin. Yet, in the end, she came up blank. She was stubborn, but so was Sakura, and she knew she would probably lose this battle if it came down to the strength of their wills. Sighing in defeat, she let the chair fall back to the floor with a heavy clunk and glanced at the clock on the wall.

Five hours. She had five hours before she had to walk to Kakashi's door and actually apologize to that infuriating man. If she was lucky, he would already be quite familiar with all the rumors she had created before she had to reverse the damage and hopefully he had learned of them in the most humiliating of ways. The more he suffered for throwing her out on her ass, the better.

As she grudgingly went back to work, she found herself pondering over what exactly she was going to say to him. She had to come up with a decent apology, even if she wasn't sincere in the least, and hope that he bought it because she had no doubt that Sakura would get in touch with him to make sure that she had followed through and spoken with him.

She wasn't sorry in the least and she would do it all over again in an instant, making the rumors even nastier if she thought people would still believe them. The ass deserved it for tossing her out like yesterday's garbage and maybe next time he ran into a woman who wanted a roll in the sheets bad enough to pursue him for a week, he would comply.

She mused over what a shame it was that she would never be able to experience the ninja's touch first hand. Surely, he wanted nothing to do with her after all of this and she was convinced she wanted nothing to do with him. That's why it seemed strange to her that, as she sat tapping her pencil thoughtfully on the table, she was feeling something nearly akin to regret. She couldn't be having second thoughts about her actions when she was so sure she was just paying him back for what he had done, could she?

As she flipped open a medical text and tried to concentrate on the words, she couldn't shake the feeling in her gut that maybe, just maybe, she was regretting more than just the loss of an opportunity to sleep with the village's most mysterious shinobi.

XXXXX

Put one foot in front of the other. Just keep going. Just ignore them.

No matter how many times Kakashi repeated these words to himself, he couldn't help but feel eyes on him, watching him, scrutinizing him. He felt that every person he passed on the street was whispering about him. Every glance in his direction seemed tinted with contempt and distain although in reality, that couldn't really be the case…could it?

The silver haired man was beginning to doubt his own judgment because he had already determined earlier that day that the entire world was not in his favor and seemed to find delight in his misery.

This must be what it felt like to be chronically paranoid.

As much as he tried to lose himself in the pages of his trusty novel, he couldn't help but be alert to the whisperings that reached his ears. He heard his name whispered over and over and it seemed Ino's original rumors had spawned new rumors as the villagers took it upon themselves to enhance and embellish the already outrageous stories as they saw fit.

After visiting the Hokage at the hospital, Kakashi had made a firm resolution to go home and spend the rest of the day licking his wounds and hiding from civilization. However, due to a momentary lapse into insanity, he thought it might be a good idea to walk through the streets instead of taking to the rooftops and avoiding the looks and whispers that centered on him. His twisted logic deduced that perhaps he could deny the allegations against him and set the people of Konoha straight in regards to his preference of gender and test results concerning fertility. He hadn't taken into account the fact that nobody would actually come up and say their suspicions to his face. They all whispered behind their hands and shook their heads sadly, taking what they had heard about him at face value and not even giving the distressed ninja a chance to defend himself.

Not even the little orange novel in his hand could offer solace against such an injustice.

And if that weren't bad enough, Tsunade's words kept filtering through his brain, running around and around like a hamster on a wheel, no matter how many times he tried to shut them out.

'_There __are far too many shinobi who constantly…let's say indulge themselves for the village to be concerned with one more fling.'_

Perhaps he had been a little arrogant to think that the village would be in an uproar over him sleeping with the young kunoichi, but it certainly seemed Konoha loved a scandal. To confirm that, all he had to do was look around at all the people delightfully spreading the lies at a speed faster than a kunai whizzing towards a target. But the unfairness of it all was too much to stomach. She had been there on his bed, tangled up in his sheets in nothing but a pair of scandalous little panties and looking like a drool worthy center spread. He could have screwed her into next week and the resulting rumors would have only been a fraction of what she had unleashed in her anger at being refused. What's worse, the Hokage had even given her approval of the act! Perhaps he did take his job too seriously from time to time.

'_Even though you're a weapon of this village, you are not a machine and should enjoy a little fun during this quiet time while you can._'

Kakashi winced inwardly as the busty female's words played over in his head.

Yeah, well how was he supposed to know that loose morals were apparently tolerated among shinobi? Sure he slept around on occasion, but never within village walls. He had made a point to remove himself from the gossip chain, so he had never heard in full detail exactly who was with who outside of his own small circle of friends. Besides the obvious relations between Kurenai and Asuma and the almost comical incidences of Anko trying to get Iruka drunk enough so she could drag him into her bed, he was almost completely ignorant of his fellow shinobi's love lives. He had given up long ago on trying to keep up with Genma's sexual endeavors, since he was constantly chasing a different woman, and the thought of Gai with a woman was almost too nauseating to consider. It had never really occurred to the elite Jounin that most of Konoha's ninjas probably did their fair share of bed hopping, considering their lives were quite a bit more unstable than the rest of the civilians there.

The more he thought about it, the stupider he felt. He could have had that smart mouthed little blonde moaning his name until the sun came up but, instead, the new day brought with it damaging rumors brought on by vengeance and a very unsatisfied and somewhat lonely Kakashi. Could life get any worse?

As if to prove that it could indeed, he heard the all too familiar voice of the second most annoying blonde he knew.

"Kakashi sensei" Naruto called, waving his hands energetically from his perch atop his stool at Ichiraku's. Sasuke was beside him, trying to avoid getting smacked in the head by Naruto's flailing arms while trying to eat. The Kyuubi vessel's voice was not so much a happy greeting as it was an accusation. It seemed as if even his former students had caught wind of the stories in circulation and now that he had been spotted, there was no side stepping the persistent young ninja.

"Hello Naruto." He said as he approached, plastering an expression of fake happiness on his weary face as he made his way over to the unlikely duo. Sasuke looked up from his meal to give him a nod of acknowledgment which Kakashi returned, grateful for once for the boy's sullen nature.

"I have a bone to pick with you!" Naruto exclaimed, pointing his chop sticks at the masked man as he took a seat at the empty stool next to him.

"Is that so?" Kakashi said, pretending he didn't know exactly what was coming next.

"All these years you were our sensei, why didn't you tell us you…you know…like men?"

The golden haired shinobi whispered the last part almost as if the mention of such a thing was a cardinal sin, his blue eyes wide as he eagerly anticipated an answer.

"I don't like men. I like women." The lanky Jounin answered without missing a beat, despite the fact that he was sighing inwardly. How long would he have to continue setting people straight? It really was quite remarkable that Ino had managed to screw him over so completely in just one day.

At first, Naruto only stared at him, a look of absolute bewilderment on his face. "But I've heard from lots of people today that you and Iruka-sensei—"

"It's called denial Naruto." Sasuke cut in curtly, apparently no longer content with eating his ramen in silence while they talked. "Kakashi is in denial about his own…feelings, even though the whole village knows."

"Well the whole village is wrong." The silver haired man replied tersely, the mere thought of the situation irritating him all over again. "And I'm disappointed in you Sasuke. I thought you'd be smart enough to ignore all the rumors floating around town."

"Oh yeah?" the Uchiha said, quirking an eyebrow upward as he swiveled on his stool to look over at his former sensei, his arms crossed defiantly over his chest with chopsticks dangling from the fingers of his right hand. "Well, that's not the only thing I heard. Apparently Iruka-sensei isn't the only guy you spend quality time with."

To Kakashi's credit, he managed to maintain a completely blank expression instead of reaching over and decking the fellow Sharingan user, although his smug expression made it all too tempting.

Naruto's gaze shifted from his rival to his teacher again and again until he looked like a spectator at a tennis match as he sat trapped between the two. Finally, realization dawned on the blonde whose talent obviously didn't lie in picking up on subtleties, nor on being especially tactful.

"Kakashi-sensei's a two timer?" he gasped, turning to Sasuke for confirmation.

The Uchiha's smirk deepened slightly and the orange clad figure turned back to look at Kakashi reproachfully. "You shouldn't cheat on Iruka-sensei. He'll be so sad when he finds out!"

Good God, for a kid that had supposedly grown so much in skill in those two years he was away with Jiraiya, he could still be dumb as a brick sometimes. Taking a deep breath to keep his composure from cracking completely, he said, "I am not cheating on Iruka because I am not _with_ Iruka. I told you, I don't like men."

"I suppose that could be true." Sasuke said smugly, resting his forearms on the counter and leaning forward to peer at the Copy Nin around Naruto. "I heard you've got a thing for Gai and I don't think anybody knows exactly _what_ he is."

Naruto, who had been about to eat a mouthful of hot noodles, suddenly froze with the chopsticks halfway to his mouth, the noodles slipping off and falling back into the broth with a splash.

"Not only that, but you also were seen with that mystery guy who isn't even from this village. I never knew you were such a man's man Kakashi-sensei."

The former leader of Team 7 found himself longing for the days when Sasuke hardly said anything at all except to tell Naruto to shut up. Unfortunately, he had found his own voice and that voice was smart assed, smug, and way too good at pissing him off.

Naruto was currently staring at the older ninja incredulously, his chopsticks stilled poised motionlessly over his steaming bowl. "You like…GAI-SENSEI?? That's gross!"

"Look, I don't like Gai and I don't like Iruka. Those were just rumors created by a woman set on getting revenge on me!"

Sasuke's raised eyebrow crept a little higher into his hairline.

"Riiiiiight." he said suspiciously. "That's a little lame, especially coming from you Kakashi-sensei."

The dark haired shinobi obviously didn't believe a word of it as he went back to eating his ramen. Naruto on the other hand, was a little more gullible.

"So, if the parts about Iruka-sensei and Gai-Sensei are rumors, does that mean you really DO have a mystery man you meet in the woods?"

"No, Naruto." Kakashi groaned, feeling a throbbing in his temples that was sure to develop into a world class migraine. "It doesn't."

"Oh." the whiskered man said before settling into a thoughtful silence. Kakashi thought he had finally dropped the subject, but after a few moments he asked, "So…you DO like Iruka-sensei?"

Kakashi wondered briefly that if he put a Chidori laden hand right through the Kyuubi container's chest if he could plead insanity afterwards. Indeed, it seemed his grip on reality was slipping little by little. Between the villager's disapproving stares, Sasuke's arrogant musings, and Naruto's idiotic questions, Kakashi wondered if maybe he really would go insane.

"No." he signed halfheartedly in response to the blonde's question.

"Really…? But you two are together at the bar a lot." Naruto said before cramming an entire half of a soft boiled egg into his mouth.

"I spend time with a lot of people at the bar." Kakashi shrugged, fighting down his annoyance by sheer willpower. "What's that got to do with anything? You and Sasuke spend a lot of time together. Do YOU have a crush on HIM?"

Sasuke had been in the middle of shoving ramen into his mouth, but that comment certainly got his attention. His black eyes widened as he stared in disbelief at his former sensei, the ends of his uneaten noodles hanging out of his mouth.

Kakashi chuckled inwardly at Sasuke's stupefied expression, so much for his arrogant attitude.

"Eew, ME? Have a crush on the BASTARD? That really is disgusting Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto cried, nearly knocking over his bowl of ramen with a sweep of his arm.

"See?" Kakashi said calmly, his mood made infinitely better by the reactions of the two younger ninjas. "Don't believe everything you hear or you'll be misled."

"Yeah but the whole village isn't talking about Sasuke and me. They're talking about you." Naruto said pointedly before popping a large chunk of meat into his mouth.

Sasuke, who up until now, had been staring at them with ramen noodles sticking out of his mouth, slurped them up noisily and returned sulkily to his bowl. "Well, I guess if you're infertile, you're no good to the ladies anyways and might as well be gay." He mumbled to himself before taking another bite.

"What was that?" Kakashi said a little too sharply as his hands immediately balled into fists at his sides. He hadn't heard all of what Sasuke had said, but he heard the parts that counted.

The Uchiha stared over the top of Naruto's head, meeting Kakashi's gaze purposefully as he chewed a mouthful of ramen. Before he could swallow and repeat exactly what he had said, a deep chuckle rumbled from the other side of the counter. All three heads looked up to find the owner of the shop looking at them, the wrinkles around his eyes and mouth creased even deeper by his good natured smile.

"What's so funny old man?" Naruto asked, growing more and more perplexed over the whole thing.

"Oh nothing, nothing." he said, turning back to washing a bowl. "It's just that you guys fighting like an old married couple brought back memories of my dear wife. I'm sure she would have found this situation amusing as well."

Both the Sharingan users fell surprisingly silent at the old man's words, Sasuke's cheeks reddening slightly and Kakashi possibly blushing under the cover of his mask.

"Married couple?" Naruto said with a laugh, immediately picturing Sasuke in a flowing white dress hanging on the arm of a tuxedo clad Kakashi. Shaking his head to clear the image, he looked over at his sulking friend. "Hey Sasuke, maybe Kakashi will have a crush on you next!"

"Shut up moron." Sasuke snapped irritably before delving into his ramen again.

The Copy Nin grinned under his mask at the Uchiha's response.

"Well, I wouldn't want to come between you two." He said lightly as he stood up. "You two make such a cute couple."

"Very funny," Sasuke practically snarled at his former senseis back as he walked away.

"Couple? We're not a couple." Naruto said through a mouth full of soggy noodles.

"No shit, idiot." Sasuke growled. "No amount of alcohol in the world could ever make you look remotely appealing."

"Hey, I make a pretty hot girl with my sexy no jutsu!" the blonde boy shot back.

"Oh please, that trick just works on dirty old men."

"It worked on Iruka-sensei once. You're just jealous that you're ALWAYS ugly no matter what you do!"

"Boys, calm down please! You'll scare away all the customers." Old man Ichiraku pleaded, trying to break up the squabble.

"You know," Kakashi said lightly, cutting into the argument, "I heard somewhere that constant rivalry between two people can be a sign of unresolved sexual tension."

Instantly, everyone at the ramen shop was reduced to silence, including the owner. Sasuke's jaw had dropped in a horrified expression, Ichiraku looked incredulous and Naruto looked, well, confused to say the least.

"What exactly does that—?"

"Shut up, Naruto. Don't even ask." Sasuke said, still looking a little nauseated after the older man's comment.

"But what does that even mean?" the fox boy practically whined.

The oldest of the men went back to washing dishes as if they were suddenly the most important things in the world. Apparently he no longer wanted to be involved in this particular conversation.

"For someone who's nearly twenty years old and spent two of those years training with the world's biggest pervert, you sure are a moron when it comes to things like this."

"Yeah, well, maybe you know a little too _much_ about them Sasuke." He shot back.

"I bet you're going to die a virgin." Sasuke said coolly before lifting his bowl to drink the broth that was left at the bottom.

Kakashi decided that now was a good time to high tail it out of there before things really got ugly. He chuckled to himself as he walked away, temporarily forgetting his woes for the moment. Those two certainly hadn't changed. They may be highly skilled ninjas, but when it came to people skills, both seemed to be lacking a little. Then again, when it came to women, maybe his people skills were lacking a lot. Or perhaps it was that a certain blonde kunoichi brought out the worst in him.

The masked man stuffed his hands into his pockets and continued trudging towards the direction of home, noting the clouds that were starting to roll in and block the afternoon sun. Instead of offering relief from the heat, the weather just turned unpleasantly humid. Perhaps it would rain tonight.

Kakashi silently wished that the rain would wash away all the events from the past week and give him a fresh start on things, a chance to start over. The shinobi chuckled sadly to himself. How many times had he wished that wish? Every time he lost someone dear to him, he always dreamed of a way to go back in time and save the ones he loved. He knew well by now that a wish is all that thought would ever be. Compared to what he had been through before, this trial was petty, trivial even. He would get through this. But right now, going home and sulking with a good book to comfort him seemed far more appealing than facing the real world at the moment.

Turning the corner, Kakashi continued placing one foot in front of the other, walking wearily towards home and doing his best to block out the people around him. His anger was spent and he was left feeling hollow and empty. He didn't want revenge; he didn't even want to look at her face again. He just wanted to forget that this whole mess had ever happened.

As he finally looked into the cloud filled sky, he hoped that the whole village would just forget about it too.

XXXXX

Thanks to my beta and my muse as always! I hope you come back to me soon btw. You seem to be MIA lately…

J-Pop


	12. A Guy Walks Into a Bar

Hey there everyone! Sorry for the long wait between updates but I spent the weekend having the time of my life at Anime Expo! Hopefully things will return to some sense of normality before Comicon! Thanks to my beta as always for editing this and reassuring me that I'm not as bad a writer as I think.

XXXXX

Gossip

Just another couple of blocks and his apartment would be in sight.

Kakashi had to fight the urge to break out into a run, or better yet, form a few simple hand seals and disappear in his customary puff of smoke. The only thing stopping him was the fact that he felt too many eyes were already upon him, watching him silently and he felt that running away would be viewed as him practically admitting that all the allegations against him were true. He had made it this far; he could walk the rest of the way.

"Oi, Kakashi!"

The silver haired man raised his eyes skyward and silently cursed the deity that, no doubt, was going out of its way to make this the most miserable day of the Jounin's life. He could try and ignore the voice yelling his name but, knowing its source, he would probably get a senbon shot into his backside if he didn't give him his full attention.

"You sorry excuse for a man, get over here! We need to talk!"

'It sounds like he's breaking up with me.' Kakashi chuckled to himself before realizing that the villagers watching the scene probably thought that that was actually a possibility.

"What do you want, Genma?" He managed to ask calmly, turning around to fix his droopy eye on his friend.

He was not surprised to see the brown haired man looking none too happy as he made his way towards him, with that oversized toothpick of his jutting out of his mouth as usual.

"We need to have a friendly little chat." He said, sounding anything _but_ friendly at the moment.

Without giving the Copy Nin a chance to protest, Genma grabbed him by the elbow and practically dragged him down the street in the opposite direction and away from the precious refuge of his apartment.

His womanizing friend had no doubt caught wind of a rumor or two, but he had no idea which one since there seemed to be so many floating around about him and any one of them could have caused this reaction. Unfortunately, the sight of him being led down the road by another man would probably spark a whole new set of rumors and further confirm everyone's suspicions. He yanked his arm from the senbon sucker's grasp angrily.

"You mind telling me where we're going?" he hissed.

"Somewhere where we won't have such a large audience." (fragmented sentence)

Kakashi had to admit, it felt like every person on the street was taking an interest in them. At first he had hoped it was simply his own paranoia but if Genma had noticed it too, then he guessed he really was the current laughing stock of Konoha.

He sulkily followed the shorter Jounin another block or so before coming to the door of the very bar where all the trouble had started. Ordinarily, the irony of the situation would have amused the Sharingan user, but he was in no mood to be entertained.

Genma held aside the curtain that covered the entrance and motioned Kakashi inside. After taking up residence in the farthest booth back in the darkest corner, the Copy Nin stared down his friend evenly, his single dark eye boring into twin chocolate orbs.

But before he even had the chance to ask what the hell he wanted, Genma launched into a tirade.

"You lying son of a bitch! All this time I thought you were a pretty decent guy. I know all ninjas have secrets, but I thought we were _friends_ man! How could you not let me in on the fact that you…"

At this, he looked around nervously before lowering his voice to a hushed whisper. "…liked _men_?!"

"I don't like men." Kakashi said evenly, hating Ino all the more for managing to worm her way between himself and the few friends he had.

"See? Even now, you're lying to me!" Genma growled, trying to keep his voice down so as not to cause a scene. "Are you in denial, or are you just trying to cover your dirty little secret? If you're gay, I can handle that, but just be honest with me!"

"I'm not gay and I'm not lying." Kakashi hissed, angry that a bit of gossip was all it took to shake the senbon sucker's faith in him. Everyone was so quick to judge, so ready to hear what they wanted to hear. He was sick to death of it. "It's true that I haven't been with a woman in a while, but I most definitely have never been with a man. Anything you heard otherwise is all a bunch of bullshit."

"Then why do you always play the wingman whenever we come here?" Genma asked, gesturing to the smoky room around them with a sweep of his hand. "I personally think your 'no locals' rule is an excuse for you never to have to go home with a woman without looking suspicious. In fact, I can't even remember you ever planning on taking a girl home."

"That's because I'm discreet," Kakashi said, leaning back and crossing his arms defensively over his chest. "A trait that, perhaps, you should learn."

"Well, what about the other night when you had to leave so suddenly? You said that that extenuating circumstance wasn't a woman. Were you off to meet your mystery man in the forest?" Genma said accusingly.

Shit. Kakashi had backed himself into a corner on this one. He had denied having any contact with the opposite sex that night when, in reality, he had had WAY more contact than he cared to think about. Going back on what he said would make him sound ridiculous but, at this point, the Copy Nin felt he had little choice. He decided to tell Genma the truth, ALL of it.

"No, I wasn't meeting anyone." Kakashi said quietly, trying to sound sincere instead of a defensive little kid. "The meeting happened that night before I left, in the hallway, when I was on my way back from the bathroom. I—"

"I KNEW it!" Genma exclaimed, pointing a finger at him in a strange combination of anger and glee. "I knew you were—"

Without thinking, Kakashi grabbed the front of his friend's shirt and jerked him forward, nearly impaling himself on the annoying piece of metal in his mouth.

"Shut. Up." He whispered darkly. "Do you want the whole damn bar to hear?"

Genma, realizing how loud he'd been, glanced around sheepishly. Fortunately, the crowded bar was busy enough that nobody seemed to notice him. It had to be the one place in the whole village where they were free of criticizing looks.

"The person I met in the hallway wasn't a man." Kakashi continued, "And I hadn't planned on meeting her at all, it just…happened."

"But you said it wasn't—"

"I know what I said." He groaned, releasing his grip on the neck of the regulation blue T-shirt the other man wore. "I was trying to keep the whole thing quiet because I wanted to forget that any of it ever happened. Unfortunately, that proved impossible when she started following me around."

"So, you got yourself a stalker eh?" Genma said with a suggestive quirk of his eyebrows, obviously intrigued with his story so far. "So, who is this girl?"

"Ino Yamanaka."

Kakashi had expected many reactions to his answer, but Genma's jaw dropping and his senbon dropping onto the table with a metallic ping had not been one of them.

After a moment of silence between them, the brown haired ninja was able to gather his wits enough to ask "Are you serious? Are you talking about that little hottie from the flower shop?"

"'Hottie' is hardly the word I would use. More like 'Persistent, annoying psychopath.'"

If the brown haired man had heard this comment he ignored it, plunging ahead instead with a barrage of questions which Kakashi answered as briefly as possible.

"So, what happened in the hallway?"

"I kissed her."

"But you didn't take her home?"

"No."

"Well, why did she start following you around then?"

"She was trying to seduce me."

"What?! Really? Dude, you're so _lucky_!" Genma sighed. "I've been trying to hook up with her for months, but she won't even give me the time of day. Was she any good?"

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? Were you drunk?"

"No."

"Did she use that weird jutsu of hers to take over your body? I'm sure she could do all kinds of kinky stuff with that, you know." He said, picking up his forgotten toothpick and placing it back in his mouth while grinning lecherously.

"No."

"Well, how did she seduce you? Or did you turn the tables on her and do all the work?"

Kakashi wanted to roll his eyes at the suggestive waggle of his eyebrows but managed to refrain.

"She did everything from stripping down to her underwear in front of me to breaking into my house and reading my books in my bed while practically nude."

The memory of her in those frilly little panties acting so innocent while obviously calculating her every move still ignited a flame of anger in him, although now that he knew he could have given into every primal desire he had felt at the moment, he also felt regret. He had no doubt that she would have felt so good pinned beneath him, moaning his name as he gave her exactly what she wanted, but her desire of him was a thing of the past and he refused to dwell on the wicked woman any more.

Genma could only stare at the Copy Nin wide eyed for a moment, no doubt imagining the situation his friend had described.

"You have got to be shitting me." He finally managed. "If a woman ever did that for me, she had better be prepared to spend a week in bed."

The brown eyed man chuckled, switching the senbon from one side of his mouth to the other.

"Yeah, well, she didn't stay more than five minutes. I kicked her out."

Genma stopped mid-laugh and looked at him in disbelief.

"You did what?"

"I kicked her out and tossed her clothes out after her. I don't particularly enjoy people breaking into my apartment."

"So you guys didn't do it?"

"No."

"Not once?"

"Not ever."

The silence between them grew and grew and even all the back ground noise of the bar couldn't make the quiet any less deafening. Kakashi was beginning to wonder if Genma would say anything at all when the senbon user practically exploded.

"What the FUCK is the matter with you? You know what? You really ARE gay if you didn't take advantage of a situation like that! I mean, she was there, in your BED man, and she was asking for it and she was NAKED! What more do you NEED?"

"Genma, will you quiet down?"

"And she was practically stalking you! I wish I had women following me around asking for sex! Good god, what's your secret?! Is it the mask thing, the hair? Well, if you're not going to take advantage of the women flocking to you, send them my way! I mean, JEEZ!"

"Genma, please be quiet."

"You know, I'm really disappointed in you! Any man with a dick in his pants would be all over a babe like her! This, more than anything, proves to me that you definitely do not appreciate women as much as you should! I mean, if it were me, I would have screwed her senseless right there in the hallway and—"

Kakashi made use of his lightning quick speed, honed by all those years of relentless ninja training and snatched the senbon right out of his friend's mouth only to hold the deadly sharp end to its owner's throat. Although he was incredibly irritated with the man at the moment, his stupefied look of surprise at suddenly being threatened by his own toothpick almost made his ranting worth enduring.

"I'm sure you can understand that I have had quite enough of Ino for a while, so I'd rather not talk about her ok?" Kakashi said in a chipper voice as he let the point of the weapon prick his friend's skin, accentuating his sentence with a happy eye crease. The combination of having a man in a position where he could skewer him at any moment and his jovial, though immensely sarcastic, attitude would have been hilarious to any onlookers if the people at the bar had bothered to pay attention.

"Dude, lighten up." Genma said, raising his hands in defeat. "I didn't mean to get you so upset."

Kakashi sighed and tossed the weapon back onto the table, sinking a hand into his unruly hair. "I just don't know what to do about her and all the trouble she's caused."

"It sounds to me like what you really need is some alcohol in your bloodstream." The brown eyed man offered helpfully, rubbing a hand over his own bandana covered hair. "I'm going to go over to the bar and fix us up. I'll be right back."

Before Kakashi could protest, Genma had disappeared into the crowd, leaving him alone in the poorly lit booth. He supposed drowning his sorrows wouldn't be such a bad thing and lord knew he had plenty of them. Resting his elbows on the table and his head in his hands, he took a deep breath and tried to force his body to relax at least a little. Ever since he had walked out of the house he had been wound tight as a spring all day. Unfortunately for him, it seemed that he wouldn't be allowed any measure of peace even here.

"Kakashi, there you are, my all time arch rival!"

Oh God, why now, and why _him_? Anyone but HIM!

The silver haired Jounin raised his head and was greeted with a frightening expanse of green spandex that was stretched far too tightly over an athletic body. This was the stuff nightmares were made of and Kakashi didn't think he could handle another rant about the brilliance of youth at the moment.

"Hello, Gai. If you've come to challenge me, I'm afraid it will have to wait for another day. I'm not really feeling my best at the moment."

Not feeling his best? That was a masterpiece of understatement.

"No, Kakashi, I have not come to challenge you." Gai said, taking a seat across from him without asking permission. Fixing dark eyes on his rival's singular orb, he seemed a little more serious than usual. "I understand that we have been friendly rivals for quite some time and our healthy competition has been an inspiration to me, pushing me to reach heights I never thought I could achieve!"

He pumped an enthusiastic fist into the air, emphasizing his point and Kakashi had to restrain himself from groaning at his friend's ridiculous pose.

"But I never thought that years of friendship would lead to such a thing as unrequited love!"

The sound of smashing glass drew the attention of both men to Genma, where he was currently standing at their booth with a bottle of sake and now only one glass, the other now on the floor in several pieces as he gaped openly at the duo.

"Welcome back." Kakashi said with a nervous smile beneath his mask, hoping that the senbon user hadn't heard as much as he thought he had.

"You're in love with THIS guy?!" Genma asked incredulously, thrusting a hand in the direction of the green clad man. Unfortunately, that hand held the open bottle of sake which sloshed all over the table with his sudden movement.

"No I'm—"

"Yes, I'm afraid he is!" Gai said dramatically, rising to his feet and slamming his palms down on the table. "And though I am flattered by your emotions that rival those of a man in the prime of his youth, I cannot endorse or reciprocate such feelings!"

"Yeah, that's probably for the best." Genma said shortly before turning to give Kakashi his full attention. Setting down the bottle and surviving shot glass he loomed over Kakashi angrily.

"That was some story you had going about the Yamanaka babe, Kakashi! I should have known it was too extravagant to be true! I can't believe you made up something like that to cover up your…your gayness!"

"But I wasn't—"

"Oh Kakashi, it disturbs me that you would focus your affections on me instead of a beautiful woman that would surely make your heart burn with love like the undying flames of youth, but it's even worse that you did not tell me your feelings face to face! I had to hear it from another's mouth and you dishonor me by being such a coward!"

"I—"

"You should walk on your hands fifty times around the village, followed by three thousand push ups and five thousand sit ups to make amends for such foolishness!" Gai shouted, pointing an accusing finger at his supposed lover and, if Kakashi didn't know any better, he swore he could see tongues of fire burning in his eyes. Well, he certainly had passion that was for sure; enough passion to drive away any sane woman on the face of the planet…and any man too, he supposed. Ino had really gone too far in pairing the two of them together. The very thought of Gai naked made Kakashi feel nauseous.

"Kakashi, if you're going to play for the other team, couldn't you like a man that's not…well…Gai? I mean, it's absolutely disgusting! You must have taken one too many punches to the cranium pal because if you find…" his eyes shifted sideways to the man still pointing at Kakashi with eyes blazing. "…THAT attractive, you need your head examined."

"But I DON'T find him attractive!" Kakashi cried, throwing his hands up in exasperation. "That's what I've been trying to tell you!"

"So you're love with someone you're not even attracted to? Man, you ARE messed up." Genma said in disgust around the metal object in his mouth. "We oughtta take you over to Tsunade so she can open up that brain and see what got knocked loose because you definitely—"

"You boys are certainly causing a lot of ruckus."

All three men jumped in surprise at the low, feminine voice that came from behind them. The fact that she had been able to sneak up on the three, highly trained, ninja unnerved them all the more.

"W-well, we were just talking about Kakashi and his love of men." Genma chuckled nervously as the woman drew closer. Even though he had known her for years, she sometimes still managed to give him the creeps.

"Oh yeah, I heard about that." She said, putting her hands on her hips and remaining unconcerned to the generous amount of skin and fishnet her open trench coat exposed. "It's a pity. I could have shown you a hell of a time, Kakashi."

The men were used to her advances, considering she propositioned just about everyone, but the feral smile she gave the Copy ninja still caused the hair on the back of his neck to prickle.

"I'll pass Anko, but I'm really not gay." Kakashi said tightly, trying to figure out just how the hell it had ended up that all three ninjas were now picking on him.

'That's what they all say, honey." The snake user smiled, sliding into the booth next to him. "Denial is a terrible thing."

"I'm not in denial."

"Whatever you say"

Anko reached for the unbroken glass and bottle of sake and began pouring herself a drink, while Gai started a new rant.

"Kakashi! I hope the fact that I will never be able to return your love will not interfere with our current competition. It would be horrible for the beautiful Green Beast of Konoha to lose his greatest rival because of a broken heart! After all, I still must prove that I can beat the great Kakashi Hatake…even if he prefers men!"

With his last words he managed to strike one of his obnoxious poses even in the confines of the bar's booth and Kakashi could almost see the sparkles shining around him as if his aura of enthusiasm was manifesting itself in pieces of brilliant light, including an exceptionally large glimmer reflecting off his even teeth.

The Copy ninja glanced around nervously. The people closest to them were starting to stare, and he couldn't really blame them. Genma had been loud and none too subtle, but someone would have to be deaf AND blind not to notice the overzealous ninja in his hideous spandex suit.

"You're in love with Gai?" Anko said with mild surprise as she sipped at her sake. It seemed hardly anything could faze the hardened kunoichi anymore and Kakashi wished for a moment that he could be as impassive as she was.

"No, I'm not." He answered stubbornly, sick to death of this particular conversation.

Her eyes flicked from the masked man to the thick eye browed ninja still frozen in his pose, sparkles and all.

"Riiiiight," She said slowly. "I have a better offer for you. How about you get Iruka drunk enough to drag him into your bed and then give me a call. I'm sure the three of us could have quite a lot of fun, don't you think?"

He felt her hand slide up along his thigh and he huffed in annoyance as he grabbed her wrist and pulled it away.

"I told you, I don't like men, not Iruka and _especially_ not Gai!"

Anko seemed undeterred by his response and only smiled slyly, refilling her glass and offering it to him.

"Maybe a couple of these will help you see things my way."

"Doubtful." Kakashi growled, but accepted the glass and drained its contents in one swig.

"So Gai, what are you going to tell your prized student when he finds out you are with another man?" the devious female asked with a smirk.

"Me? With another man? That's not the case at all!" Gai cried earnestly. "Though I respect and honor men, especially skilled ninjas, I would never think to involve myself romantically with one! Lee! Your sensei is not like that! I would never shame you in such a way! You must believe me!"

As the river of tears flowed down Gai's face while he gestured and pleaded wildly to someone who wasn't even there, Anko exchanged an amused glance with Genma who was still standing awkwardly beside the table. Kakashi was holding his head in his hands again, trying to will away the headache and the man who was causing it. He was more than ready to go home and perform hara-kiri with a kunai now that his close friend Genma, who knew him better than most, was convinced he was in love with Konoha's taijutsu master.

Deciding he had had his fill of fun for the evening, he stood abruptly and squeezed past Anko to get away from his seat.

"Hey, Kakashi, where are you going?" Genma asked, senbon bobbing on his lips as he spoke.

"Home"

"Oh come on, the night has barely started." Anko smiled, grabbing his wrist and trying to tug the Copy ninja down next to her.

Kakashi broke free of her grasp and headed towards the door. There weren't enough dirty romance novels in the word to make him stay in this bar a moment longer. All he wanted to do was take a long, hot shower and sleep for a week.

"Alright, well if you leave, someone else might steal Gai away from you!" the brown haired shinobi called to his friend teasingly, even though the chances of the green clad man scoring tonight were about as good as Jiraiya publishing a completely clean book.

"Fuck you." Kakashi called over his shoulder, although there wasn't much venom in his voice.

Genma couldn't repress a shudder at the thought that those words that used to be a simple insult now actually might be a suggestion or even an invitation when coming from his supposedly homosexual friend. He had bedded a whole lot of people in his time, but none of them had been men and he planned to keep it that way.

"Let him go, honey. We can still have fun by ourselves." Anko purred, reaching out to grab the bottom hem of his blue Jounin shirt and tug him into the booth next to her. The senbon user glanced at the dark haired woman nervously. Although he was quite experienced, he didn't think he could handle a girl like her in bed, nor did he want to try. She was notorious around Konoha for eating the men she slept with and spitting them back out. Her preferred brand of kink usually involved whips and handcuffs and although Genma was adventurous, he was not prepared to put himself at the mercy of Orochimaru's former student.

"Uh, no thanks, I just remembered that there's something I gotta do."

Making his escape while he still had the chance, Genma retreated, following the Sharingan user's trail although there was already no sign of the silver haired man. He was probably already long gone.

Anko sighed, cupping her chin in her hand as she rested her elbow on the marred surface of the worn wooden table. A decent fuck sure was hard to come by in this town. It seemed none of the men had the balls to take her home any more. Her eyes shifted over to Gai, who was now spouting something about the flames of youth even though no one had been paying him any mind for some time. She downed another glass of sake and grimaced at the burn. As she looked over Gai's absurd choice in hair cuts and training attire, she concluded with certainly that she would never be horny enough to even consider a roll in the sheets with him, nor would any amount of alcohol change her mind.

Getting up from her seat, she decided to call it an early night as she disappeared into the crowed with a swish of her khaki colored trench coat, leaving the Green Beast of Konoha to his ranting alone.

XXXXX

The sun had gone down and the warm night had grown uncomfortably sticky as angry looking clouds wiped the stars from the sky.

Ino walked the deserted streets of Konoha and wished she could follow the other villager's examples and retreat to the air conditioned haven of her house. Unfortunately, she had an unpleasant errand to run before she could get out of the humidity or Sakura would give her hell next time they met.

Ino had tried putting off the inevitable by staying late at the hospital, not leaving until the sun had already sunk below the horizon. It gave her a chance to catch up on some extra work, but her mind was too engrossed in other matters for the time to be all that productive.

What would she say to him? She was sure mere words wouldn't satisfy the ninja after what she had done to him and, even if they could, the Copy ninja was probably in no mood to listen. He'd probably slam the door in her face, but at least that was better than being thrown out into public in nothing but a thong. Hell, actually it was preferable. The blonde tried to summon her anger at the memory, but it seemed her rage had drained away since seeing him today in the medical study. She could tell he had been furious and, if it hadn't been for Sakura's intervention, he might have torn her to pieces on the spot. Despite her abilities that more than qualified her as a Jounin and a medic, the ex ANBU member was still infinitely more experienced than her. In a match of strength and skill against him, she was bound to lose.

Ino looked up into the swollen clouds above, one mass of black hardly discernable from the next as she made he way towards the same apartment she had snuck into yesterday.

She could only imagine the look on his face when he would open the door to find her on his porch. Maybe she would get lucky and he wouldn't be home. That way, she wouldn't have to speak with him and she wouldn't have to fear for her life while delivering a half hearted apology, although it would no doubt leave her pink haired friend unsatisfied and she would have to go back and try again tomorrow.

Before she had a chance to dwell further, she found herself at her destination. The walk here hadn't been long enough to settle her nerves or for her to formulate what she was going to say and, for a moment, she considered walking around the block and returning, but knew she couldn't put it off forever. She might as well get this over with before he went to bed.

Brushing back a stray strand of pale hair, she marched up to the door and raised her fist to knock, praying that there would be no one inside to answer.

XXXXX

Showers were amazing things. They could soothe aches and pains and wash away tension from tired muscles. They could refresh, rejuvenate, and allow a moment of peace where all the troubles in the world didn't matter and were forgotten. However, all those troubles came rushing back the second Kakashi cranked off the hot water.

There were times when returning from an S-rank mission hadn't left him this tired and he couldn't wait to collapse into bed.

After drying off and rubbing the towel over unruly silver locks, Kakashi wrapped it around his waist and exited the bathroom, finding clothes to be too much effort at the moment.

He was considering dropping the towel and sleeping in the buff, when there was a knock on his door. Although it wasn't too late in the evening, Kakashi wasn't expecting anyone and certainly was in no mood for company after the days events. For all he knew, it was someone who had come to confirm the latest heresy or worse yet, Genma or Gai who had decided they weren't quite done torturing him with their lectures and reprimands. The lanky man was sorely tempted to ignore the visitor, but decided that the sooner this person was gone, the sooner he could go to sleep. Abandoning his wet towel in favor of some clean Jounin pants, he made his way across the small room he called home.

As he reached for the doorknob, he swore that if it was Naruto at his door with questions about rivalry between team members and the meanings of unresolved sexual tension, Konoha would have one less Kyuubi containing, loud mouthed annoyance on their hands.

XXXXX

There you have it. Send me some review love. Comments make me happy.


	13. Sorry is Just a 5 Letter Word

Gossip

As soon as she rapped her knuckles on the door, she began to count quickly to ten, hoping that the Copy Nin wouldn't open the door before she reached the final number so she could high tail it out of their there and tell Sakura that she had, at least, made an attempt to patch things up. She had almost reached her goal when the door abruptly swung open to reveal a shower dampened and half naked Kakashi dressed only in Jounin pants and a piece of dark cloth tied over his lower face.

The silver haired shinobi stared at his visitor for a moment in disbelief. What the hell was _she _doing here? This was even worse than finding Naruto at his door. Apparently, making him out to be gay, impotent, and in love with Gai, while having a secret, woods-dwelling lover on the side had not been enough for her and she had come to rub salt in his wounds. Well, if she thought he was going to give her that kind of satisfaction, she was dead wrong and she might as well just take her gossiping ass home.

Ino had not expected to be confronted with Kakashi's bare torso. She had spent weeks trying to get a good look at his body and now here it was…well, some of it anyway, and she found herself slightly distracted by it. The sinewy muscle beneath his skin looked firm and appealing and she knew that despite the absence of bigger, bulkier muscle, his body was capable of incredible strength.

"Um…hi,." The blonde said awkwardly, dragging her gaze from his chest to his half covered face.

"What do _you _want?" Kakashi growled angrily. "Haven't you done enough today, or did you come here personally to give me a heads up on the next bull shit story you intend to spread about me?"

"Look, it's not like that!" Ino replied defensively, not liking how he immediately threw her actions back in her face, but the next thing she was about to say was, for some reason, much harder to voice than she had thought. "I…I came here to…to apologize."

"Is that so?" He replied, sounding like he didn't believe her in the least as he crossed his arms over his chest and leaned against the doorframe.

"Yes Kakashi, it is." She said evenly, trying to fight down the anger and annoyance that was rising inside her. She didn't expect him to trust her or even treat her kindly after what she had done, but he could at least humor her and _pretend_ like he was going to listen to her apology since it wasn't exactly easy for her to swallow her pride. If it hadn't been for Sakura's earlier threats to finish the task, she would have turned on her heel and stormed away angrily.

"I just wanted to say that I'm…I'm…"

She glanced around nervously, turquoise eyes scanning the empty streets for prying eyes, suddenly feeling exposed and a little vulnerable in the public view of his door step. The angry clouds and impending rain had caused most of Konoha's resident's to take refuge indoors, but Ino didn't want her apology interrupted.

"Well?" Kakashi prodded impatiently, clearly not enjoying her company any more than she was his.

"Can we take this inside? I don't exactly want to do this in front of an audience."

Kakashi eyed her warily, as if trying to assess whether she was being genuine or was simply trying to get into his pants again. Ino didn't blame him for being suspicious, but thought he was being a little presumptuous just the same. Who the hell would want to sleep with a man who had just thrown them out on their ass? It would take a lot more than a well muscled body to change her mind about him and the blonde medic doubted he was eager to take any steps to do so.

For a moment, Kakashi considered slamming the door in her face and going straight to bed for some much needed rest. It wasn't like she didn't deserve it. Yet, in the end, despite his better judgment, he wordlessly stood aside to allow her to pass by him and into his home before shutting the door behind him.

Ino found herself in the very room she had broken into the night before, lit only by the dim light of a bedside reading lamp. His bed was still made so she hadn't woken him up and the bathroom door was open, giving her a glimpse of the steam that still covered the mirror. The one window in the room was open, filling the space with the same humidity and scent of coming rain as outside.

"Alright Ino, what did you want to say?"

The Copy Nin's curt question broke her out her observations and she turned around to find him with his back to the door and arms still crossed over his chest. Despite his relaxed looking slouch, she could feel the tension in the air around him and it was obvious her presence wasn't exactly welcome.

Fidgeting slightly, she kept her eyes downcast as she tried to formulate the words to say.

"Well…I…um…I mean…I wanted to say…"

She could hear Kakashi heave an irritated sigh from his place at the door. Why was it so easy to find words when they had hurtful effects, yet, when it came time to make amends, she could think of nothing to say? Apologies required a degree of humbleness and humility and Ino had never been very good at shouldering either of those things. Maybe she would have been better off not coming here at all and facing Sakura's wrath in the morning.

Taking a deep breath, the blonde raised her eyes to meet his. She _would_ get through this because quitting now would only mean being hauled back by her green eyed friend later.

"I'm sorry." She said quietly. "I shouldn't have said those things about you just because I was angry. I'll do my best to reverse the rumors tomorrow."

There. She had done her part. She had even made it sound sincere and she supposed on some level it was, although she wasn't sure if she regretted actually ruining his life or ruining any chance she had of bedding him.

She waited quietly, hoping that he too would admit he was wrong to act so harshly the night before so they could go on about their lives and actually act civil to one another if they were assigned to a future mission together.

"Is that all?"

The impatience was evident in his voice as he leaned against the door. He hadn't moved a muscle since she had come inside, but she could sense his body was still tight with tension. Was that really all he had to say to her? He hadn't even accepted her apology, but just wished to hurry her right out the door. Apparently, he didn't care at all that she was here making an attempt to set things right by pushing her pride aside and admitting she was wrong. Well, it wasn't like she was the only one at fault and she wasn't about to slink away with her tail between her legs.

"What the hell do you mean 'Is that all?'? Ino said angrily, taking a step towards him. "I am trying to fix what I messed up so you could at least act like you give a damn!"

"Saying you're sorry isn't going to fix anything Ino." Kakashi said quietly, raising his head from its slightly bowed position. Even in the dim light, she could see his uncovered Sharingan clearly and was simultaneously fascinated and intimidated by it. She had never seen it close up and couldn't tear her gaze away from the fearsome weapon that was responsible for both his nickname of Konoha's Copy ninja and the fame that came with it.

"People are going to think what they want to think and the stories you've created are far more interesting than the truth. You've done more than enough to me today, so I don't need to hear anything else from you."

For a moment there was nothing but silence in the room as the blonde absorbed his cutting words, too surprised to do anything at first, but gradually, Ino's shocked expression quickly melted into rage. She had mustered up her courage and humbled herself to come to him while wracking her brain for the right words to say, to and what did he do? Blow her off and tell her that nothing she said even mattered! Stalking up to him despite the intimidating Sharingan that seemed to almost glow in the faint light, she jabbed a finger none too gently into his chest as she spoke.

"Look, you asshole! It's not like I'm the only one who has done something wrong, but at least _I_ can admit it even if you are too pig headed to listen to a word of it."

Kakashi, who had remained immobile until now, moved faster than her eyes were able to track, shooting his arm out to wrap his fingers around her wrist and stopping her mid jab.

"That's funny," He said tightly, looking down into her surprised face. "Because last time I checked, _you_ were the one nicknamed Ino-Pig."

His underhanded comment once again left her speechless, but didn't stop her from using the hand not restrained by him to strike out and slap him hard across the face, his head whipping to the side with the force of the blow. The sound of her palm hitting his cheek echoed in the quiet room and, for a moment, time seemed to stop as Kakashi stood there, face still turned and eyes obscured by damp, messy hair.

Ino's heart was beating wildly in her chest, her rage dwindling as she wondered if she had finally gone too far. Without Sakura around to conveniently intervene, Kakashi was free to do his worst, and knowing how skilled the elite Jounin was, the blonde had little hope of escaping his wrath.

The silence ticked by but the Copy Nin neither moved, nor relinquished his grip on her wrist. When the quiet was finally shattered, his voice was soft and low, but held an edge to it that was unmistakablye dangerous.

"Are you satisfied now Ino?"

The aqua eyed ninja tried to pull away but he held his iron grip on her that was uncomfortable, but not yet painful. When she said nothing, he continued.

"You've said your pieace and gotten in your blow. I imagine that would complete your childish and petty form of revenge so if you have no more business here, you should leave."

The purple clad woman could only stare in astonishment at the taller man's face, his eyes still obscured by his hair, but she had seen his lips move clearly. She hadn't come for revenge god damn it! She had come to apologize and he had disdainfully tossed her efforts back in her face without offering an apology of his own.

Angrily, she jerked her arm from his grip and he allowed her to break free, but rather than leave his residence like he requested, she gave into the rage that was burning white hot inside, despite the gut feeling that warned that she should get away while she still could.

"You're a fucking bastard." She hissed. "Do you really think you're blameless after kissing me like the sex starved man you are and then throwing me out when I came to do you a favor?"

The Copy Nin gave a short, humorless laugh as he finally turned his face back to her, a red spot already blooming over his cheek from where she had struck him. His black eye was cold and hard and the Sharingan remained unchanged no matter what emotions were boiling inside of him. Ino found the crimson orb unnerving, but was too angry to back down now, even when he leaned in closer to her, his aura of anger and strong presence nearly overwhelming.

"Don't kid yourself. We both know the only reason you were in my house is because you thought I'd be a decent fuck. Sorry to break it to you, but I don't invite just anyone into my bed, especially females that act likes bitches in heat."

The blonde medic might have winced at his hard words, especially since they came from a man whose vocabulary was usually much less explicit but, instead, they only served to anger her more. A bitch in heat,? Tthat's what he thought of her? She had been captivated by him, fascinated, and, yes, she had taken persistence to a whole new level by following him around, but he had no right to call her names. Even though she knew full well that starting a fight with him in his own apartment was one of the stupidest things she could do, she lashed out anyway, aiming a punch straight for his solar plexus and connecting only with air as her target nimbly moved out of the way.

"Take that back!" she cried as she wheeled to strike again.

Even a blind man would be able to see she was spitting mad, but Kakashi hadn't expected her to be so irrational as to start a fist fight in his bedroom.

"What the hell is WRONG with you?" Kakashi growled, fending off another punch with the back of his forearm as she spun quickly to attack once more. He felt the blow reverberate through his entire arm and knew he'd be sporting one hell of a bruise tomorrow. Had Asuma honed her skills this much or was this due to newly gained chakra control as a medic? Either way, it hurt like hell. There wasn't much room to maneuver in the small room and the last thing he wanted was the irate female punching through one of his bedroom walls.

Dodging another blow, he moved behind her quickly and wrenched an arm behind her back while kicking her feet out from under her. He wrapped an arm around her waist so she wouldn't hit the floor quite so hard when she went down since she wouldn't be able to catch herself with her free hand.

Positioning her face down on the floor, he pressed his body on top of hers to keep her pinned in place. This was utterly ridiculous. Was she really so senseless that she thought starting a sparring match in his home was going to solve anything? So his words had been a little harsh…so what? They were true. All he had wanted to do was shower and go to bed, and now he had to subdue the woman responsible for making his life utterly miserable in the first place. Why couldn't she leave well enough alone?

The woman beneath him still struggled beneath him, but the painful angle of her arm behind her back kept her resistance to a minimum. He could feel her pulse beating against his fingers as he maintained a firm grim on her wrist, fast, but not wild. Her cheek was pressed against the hard wood of his flood and although her long blonde bangs covered her face, Kakashi could see her pretty face was flushed and filled with anger.

"What's gotten into you? I thought you'd be in a good mood seeing how well your plan to humiliate me worked." The elite ninja growled against her ear.

"I told you I was sorry about that!" Ino spit heatedly. "I, unlike you, seem ytou have a heart."

After her words, there was silence, broken only by the sound of raspy breath escaping lungs as she felt the pressure of his thighs on either side of body and the warm press of his bare chest against her back. His calloused fingers splayed over her stomach where he had supported her felt surprisingly good, but she would never admit it too him. The good feeling was countered anyway by the arm that was starting to throb from where it was sandwiched between their torsos, but the pain seemed insignificant as she waiting for a response to her cutting remark.

"A heart is a luxury most ninja can't afford." Kakashi replied stonily, the warm breath that washed over her ear contrasting with his cold voice. "Having a heart will get you killed."

'Ever the diligent solider,.' Ino thought bitterly, understanding now more than ever that her efforts were a waste of time, both in pursuing him and coming to apologize.

"I guess that explains why women never come near you. They can sense your 'fuck off' vibe from across the room."

If her words angered the Copy ninja, he didn't show it but continued to press her into the floor silently. The heat radiating off his body surrounded her and she thought that maybe in another place and time, this intimate position, minus the uncomfortable twisting of her arm, might actually have been quite pleasant.

Gradually, his grip on her loosened and she was able to pull her arm into a more comfortable position, wincing at the numbness in her limb as blood began to return to it. She felt his chest lift from her back but his weight didn't leave her completely. She couldn't see his face from where she way layinglying but she could feel his eyes on her.

Slowly, she wriggled herself onto her back and to her surprise, he let her, taking just enough of his weight off of her so she could maneuver before settling back down again. She found that she had been right in guessing he was looking at her and stared right back as he regarded her with one red eye and one black. However, even with his second eye uncovered, the silver haired man's thoughts remained a mystery to the woman beneath him, although she had become acutely aware of the way he was now straddling her hips.

Kakashi examined the face of the woman beneath him, her turquoise eyes alight with the fires of anger but also something else. Was it youthful vivacity? A certainCertain exuberance? Whatever it was, he guessed that his own eyes had lost such a luster long ago. She was still young and fresh, even if slightly jaded thanks to her choice of careers involving sweat and tears and plenty of blood. But she was raised in a period of peace and couldn't possibly relate to a lifetime filled with war and violence. If she could have just a glimpse of it and all the people he had lost, she would understand why his heart was nothing more than an organ beating in his chest and all romantic endeavors were lived vicariously through the books he read.

And yet, he couldn't deny that even after everything she'd done to him, even though there were moments today he had thought he thought he would hate her until the day he died or until he killed her first, he found her quite beautiful and still seemed to captivate him in some unknown way. That feeling was growing harder to ignore as he sat atop her hips, his palms planted on the wooden floor on either side of her head as he leaned forward to examine just what its was about her that made her so alluring…and so infuriating.

Her features were softened by the dim light of his reading lamp and only seemed to amplify her beauty, her lips looking full and soft, her skin smooth, herand her hair, though spread out everywhere, sleek. He imagined she had taken to trying her hardest to seduce him out of simple curiosity that was peaked by his impromptu kiss. Well, he had the urge to satisfy some curiosities of his own. What would those lips feel like? Taste like? And all that skin she had shown him yesterday…would she be willing to show it again?

Kakashi suddenly realized the dangerous path his thoughts had started to travel down and shut them away quickly as his confusion mounted. Where had _that_ come from? Hadn't he been mad at her a second ago? Well, he supposed he still was,was both mad AND aroused. It was probably due to the fact that he was currently sitting on top of her in a position reserved for more…er…_intimate_ things and that her piercing eyes and parted lips looked tempting beneath him, a little TOO tempting. It was time to send her home.

"Ino, I trust you've calmed down enough so as not to try and attack me in my own home. I think it's time you headed back to yours."

The blonde's eye's narrowed to slits of aquamarine. So that was it, was it? There would be no acknowledgment of her apology or one offered by him in return. He would just send her on her way and chances were they would never speak of this again, although every time they met there would be tension between themn so heavy, it would nearly be tangible.

"Fine."

Wordlessly, he moved off her and allowed the blonde to pull herself to her feet. He regarded her a moment longer as she straightened her purple attire. Why did he continue to desire a woman who caused him so much trouble? It didn't make any sense to him and he figured it never would, but even as his anger burned, he could feel lust bubbling beneath its surface as he recalled the way she had spread herself out on his bed last night. The urge to throw her down on that very same bed and relieve all his frustrations was mounting. If she had any sense at all, she would leave quickly.

She walked the short distance to the door and Kakashi silently watched her movements as she reached for the doorknob.

"Kakashi," she said quietly without turning around, her eyes focus on the painted wood in front of her.

"Hmm…??"

"How does it feel being a complete asshole? Does it feel good? Satisfying?"

Even now, as her hand was turning the knob, she was trying to get under his skin. She obviously didn't expect an answer, but he planned to give her one anyway that wouldn't leave her with the last laugh.

He leaned against the nearest wall, adopting his usual lazy slouch as he spoke.

"I expect it feels the same as being a gossiping, lying, ill intentioned, manipulative bitch." He answered calmly, his voice betraying none of the smirk that had formed on his lips beneath the fabric covering them.

The hand that had been on the doorknob froze and then fell away. Her head turned to look at him and for a moment, he could see traces of hurt on her face which almost made him regret what he had said…almost.

"What did you say?" she whispered.

"You heard me fine Ino. I don't need to repeat it."

"You're a bigger prick than I thought." She hissed, the hurt quickly dissipating as anger contorted her features once again. It was obvious her plan to leave had been postponed and Kakashi couldn't help but feel a small bit of triumph. Was that why he had said what he had said even though he knew it would hurt? Has he been planning this?

She was advancing on him now, blinded by rage caused by such a personal insult. Briefly the Copy Nin wondered how she managed to keep her cool while on assignment because it didn't take much for him to get her so worked up. She stopped when they were nearly toe to toe and for a second, just looked at him, her eyes boring into his but he unflinchingly met her infuriated gaze head on.

Ino couldn't believe he had the balls to say that to her face. Yes, she was all those things at one point or another but he seemed to refuse to see deeper, to acknowledge there was more to her. He saw what he wanted to see and dismissed the rest and it infuriated her. Not even her attempt to apologize had changed his mind any and Ino had finally had enough. He thought she was a bitch? Fine,. Sshe would be a bitch. Maybe _then_ he would be satisfied.

Drawing chakra into a clenched fist, she cocked back her arm and intended to deliver a blow that probably would have shattered his jaw if it had connected as intended. Fortunately for Kakashi, his uncovered Sharingan saw it coming.

He disappeared a split second before impact, leaving her off balance as she followed through with the punch that had missed its target only to reappear behind her. She tried to turn around but the silver haired man was far too fast for her. Before she knew what was happening, he grabbed a fistful of the back of her purple top and shoved her roughly against the wall he had just been leaning against.

Ino barely had time to bring her hands up to keep her face from being smashed into wood. Immediately she felt her opponent's body behind her, pressing her so firmly against the vertical surface that she had to turn her head to the side to keep him from breaking her nose. Even with her palms flat against the wall, no amount of pushing back would shake him off of her unless she wanted to push down the whole wall which, at this point, clearly wasn't an option.

"I thought you were smart enough not to start another fight with me here." Kakashi growled against her ear. "Apparently I was mistaken."

"Let me go, you bastard. You've proved your point. I'm no match for you." The medic ground out between gritted teeth. It was pathetic how easily she'd been beaten, but she should have known Kakashi was way out of her league.

Instead of moving away, he only leaned in closer, placing the palm of his free hand against the wall on the outside of hers own. She could hear the rasp of his breath,breath; feel it washing over her anger flushed skin. Their proximity suddenly felt way too close and she wanted to be away from him and the privacy of his room.

"Kakashi?" she said with a little less venom as she tried to turn further and look at him. Quickly, the hand on her back traveled upwards to wrap around the base of her ponytail and jerk her head back to its previous position with enough force to make her neck ache at the sudden movement.

His actions drew a soft gasp from the blonde, which was only accentuated by the sudden feel of his cloth covered lips ghosting over her ear as he spoke.

"You've been following me around for quite some time Ino with one goal in mind."

He paused in his words to let his nose nuzzle the shell of her ear and feel felt her body tense as he did so.

"You've teased me relentlessly and I must say, I'm tired of resisting. I think I'm finally going to allow you to have what you want."

The kunoichi couldn't help her surprised gasp at his words. She had almost given up the thought of Kakashi desiring to have sexual relations with anyone but his right hand and his orange jacketed books. Now, out of the blue, when she hadn't even done anything to provoke it, he wanted her? One minute they had been fighting and the next, he was all set to go?. Well that was just too bad because she had decided she no longer wanted anything to do with a shinobi like Kakashi Hatake.

"Well that's too bad, because I DON'T want it!" Ino hissed angrily. "Let me go!"

"Oh, I think I can change your mind." The Copy ninja murmured against her skin, his voice taking on a tone that was…dare she say, seductive?

"Your presumptuous, egotistical attitude has more than made up my mind. Get your hands off of me!"

Instead of heeding her demands, Kakashi turned her head with the hand in her hair so that her forehead was now resting against the cool surface of the wall, giving him access to the small bit of skin at the base of her neck that wasn't covered up by the collar of her top.

Ino had to fight to keep her breathing even as she felt masked lips press to the nape of her neck as the hand against the wall moved to play over her naked stomach, tickling and caressing the soft skin around her belly button.

"So now what?" she breathed huskily, her body starting to feel the affects of his hands in spite of herself. "You rape me to get your revenge?"

Kakashi chuckled against her neck in amusement as his hand began to stroke high on her abdomen, his heated breath making her skin prickle into gooseflesh. "I would never use force Ino, but it's pretty obvious to me you already want this."

She swallowed hard as his fingers brushed the bottom hem of her shirt and she silently hoped she could hold out long enough to prove that he was wrong.


	14. Be Careful What You Wish For

It's here! The latest and final installment of Gossip is here! I believe this is my longest story to date. Go me! I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I did writing it. I just adore putting Kishimoto's characters in the most compromising positions, don't you?

Thank you Serenanna for betaing. You are an angel!

WARNING!!!! Ok guys, you KNEW this was coming. This chapter contains sex, smex, smut, and other S things as well as crude language. (this will probably excite most people). Read at your own risk.

I don't own Naruto and any of its characters. I just make them jump each other's bones in stories that I make NO money off of. K thanks.

XXXXX

Gossip

Ino found herself pressed face first against the wall, the Sharingan user's chest molded to her back. This was not what she had expected when she decided to pay him a visit in order to apologize.

"So now what?" she breathed huskily, her body starting to feel the affects of his hands in spite of herself. "You rape me to get your revenge?"

Kakashi chuckled against her neck in amusement as his hand began to stroke high on her abdomen, his heated breath making her skin prickle into gooseflesh. "I would never use force, Ino, but it's pretty obvious to me you already want this."

Ino couldn't find the words to protest as his fingers snaked along her abdomen to the first button of her top. Using one hand, he easily slid the button out of its hole and she felt her shirt gap open at the bottom.

"Kakashi," she whispered hoarsely, trying to straighten her arms to throw her body back and buck him off. "Don't."

Her attempt did little to help her for she was only able to straighten her arms an inch or two before his overbearing weight crushed her to the wall again.

"You don't sound very convincing." The masked man breathed against her neck as his fingers freed another button from its hole, exposing the bottom of her bindings to his wandering fingers.

Ino let out a frustrated growl which, to her dismay, turned into something akin to a whimper as his fingers caressed the under side of her bound breast.

Even through his mask she could feel his lips quirk upwards in a smirk.

"I like the sounds you're making." He rasped softly, popping open another button. "Don't stop."

By now the only button remaining was the one at her throat. Her shirt had separated enough that her wrappings were completely uncovered and he seemed to be taking his time getting to the last clasp as his hand traveled over her curves.

Ino bit her lip to silence herself as one large hand cupped her right breast roughly. She refused to admit to either him or herself that she was enjoying this even though her body was slowly betraying her. As his palm slid over her nipple, she could feel it instantly harden beneath his touch as if to mock her further. Her body's response did not go unnoticed by her assailant for he allowed his thumb to brush over it a few times, coaxing it into an even harder bud through the bindings before molding the supple flesh into his palm and giving it a light squeeze.

Ino was able to prevent herself from making any sounds indicating she liked what he was doing, but she wasn't able to keep herself from arching her back slightly. Between his Sharingan and his natural perceptiveness, the medic knew she could hide nothing from him. Her resolve was cracking and she couldn't cover it up but her stubbornness would not allow her to give in so easily.

"Kakashi, stop it." She commanded, relieved when her voice came out less shaky than she felt.

He only pressed against her harder and Ino was pretty sure the hard lump against the curve of her rear was NOT his kunai holster. His wandering hands switched to her other breast to give it similar attention as he spoke against the side of her neck.

"Why? Didn't you follow me around for days for this?"

"That was before I realized what a complete jerk you were." She ground out between gritted teeth as he massaged the soft tissue of her breast before moving over her collarbone towards the last button.

"I don't think you care _what_ kind of person I am as long as I can take you for a decent ride."

That wasn't entirely true. Although she had been looking for some fun in the sack, his mysterious ways had also intrigued her. Even his previous students seemed to know very little about him and she had wanted to know why he was so secretive. She was about to open her mouth to tell him so when she felt his free hand near the pulse point on her neck, and with a flick of his wrist, her top fell open completely as the last button was undone.

The long haired girl froze as she waited for what he would do next, expecting him to grab at her breasts again but instead, his free hand slid over her stomach to the button that held her skirt together in the front. Suddenly the wrap-around garment was sliding down her legs leaving her clad in her shorts and panties and his hand was moving on to caress the inside of her right thigh. He was certainly wasn't wasting time.

Kakashi normally wasn't so rough with his female companions, but then again, the women he bedded weren't usually spreading dirty lies about him either. And yet, handling her roughly, dominating her like this, was somehow wonderfully animalistic and sparked something deep and primal within him. The way she whimpered at his touch told him she was enjoying it no matter what her mouth said and when she fought him, it only added to the fun. Her resolve was crumbling and he knew she really did want this, but her mind was teetering on the edge of giving in even if her body had already succumbed. He had methods of persuading apprehensive women to surrender and he would not hesitate to use them on her just as she had pulled out all the stops when trying to seduce him. Already the smell and feel of her were driving him wild with lust and he craved to taste her to see if her flavor was as intoxicating as her sent.

He felt the flex of her muscled thigh as his hand slid over its toned surface. When he came to the black pouch holding a kunai, his fingers nimbly dipped inside and withdrew the metal weapon.

Ino managed to work up some more anger in spite of her growing arousal as she felt his fingers slid over the expanse of skin between her fishnet shorts and leg band. She was not some toy to be played with and she refused to idly stand by and let him touch her without a fight.

"God dammit, Kakashi! Let me go!" she growled fiercely wriggling against him in an attempt to break his hold.

Suddenly his hand was gone from her thigh and the sound of tearing cloth filled her ears. A second later she could feel her bindings falling away from her chest and Ino tried to twist her head and look at him to see how he could have possible removed them so fast but the hand in her hair roughly yanked her head back around.

"Stop fidgeting." Kakashi commanded heatedly against her ear, his exposed chest molded to her now bare back. "I wouldn't want to cut your pretty skin by accident."

The increased sensation of skin on skin made the kunoichi's pulse race faster. She could feel his own beating heart against her back; feel the flex of his muscles as he held her. She knew they held immense power that he was carefully keeping under control. He could crush her in an instant if he wanted to and the knowledge frightened her a little. It also, for some strange reason, thrilled her as well.

Despite his warning, she continued to wriggle slightly even though it did her little good. The Copy Nin let out an irritated growl before mashing her torso completely against the wall, flattening her bare breasts against its smooth surface and nearly forcing the air from her lungs with the roughness of the act.

"Ow! Kakashi, what the hell are you…?"

Her words died on her tongue and her body tensed as she felt something sharp probing her thigh, something not at all like the bulge against her rear but something resembling a weapon. Something deadly.

The strange popping noise of threads being severed filled the quiet between them and Ino could feel the tight fit of her shorts loosen slightly. He was cutting them right off of her and the sound resulted from the fishnet strands giving way…but what in the hell was he cutting them with?

She couldn't move her head and he had her cheek pressed up against the wall but she could feel the cold sting of metal when he let the weapon brush over her skin. It was metallic, probably a kunai. Was it his?

She shifted her leg as much as their position allowed and noticed the holster on her leg felt lighter than it should.

He had stolen the kunai right out of her own holster and was now cutting off her clothes with it!

Why was that action so infuriating and somehow simultaneously very, _very_ sexy?

"Kakashi…" she panted, her voice suddenly far breathier than before.

"Don't move." He whispered against the shell of her ear as he continued to work the kunai up her leg, popping threads open as he went.

"You're a fucking bastard." She managed without much malice as he finally reached the waistband and sliced through that as well before starting on the other leg.

"Maybe so, but it's turning you on." He breathed huskily as the threads popped slowly one at a time under the sharp blade.

"You'd like to think so, wouldn't you." Ino said as icily as she could manage, a difficult feat considering the heat his body was radiating was washing over her, bringing with it his spicy masculine scent mingled with the odor of soap.

The kunai that had been slowly cutting threads one by one, suddenly tore up her leg with a loud rip, cutting the garment completely off of her without leaving so much as a scratch.

"I _know _so." The masked man whispered smugly, feeling her body tense against his in surprise as the ruined pair of shorts fell around her feet. "I can _smell_ you. You're getting wet for me, Ino. Admit it."

The medic gasped at his accusation. It was true the heat that had enveloped her seemed to permeate her skin and gather in her loins. She was all too familiar with the liquid heat that was pulsing in her core but she had been trying to ignore it, hoping it would go away. She hadn't counted on Kakashi's keen sense of smell picking up on her arousal and a mortified flush tinted her cheeks. The tone of his voice told her he liked the scent but nobody had ever well…smelled her before. It was weird and a little embarrassing even for someone like her.

When she failed to answer, the elite Jounin let the kunai in his hand drop to the floor with a thud, smirking at how she jumped slightly at the sound.

"What's the matter? You always had plenty to say before?" he chuckled as his hand played with the hem of her silky black panties. While they weren't as scandalous, and far simpler than the ones she had worn for him the night before, they were still turning him on to no end.

"Kakashi, don't." she panted as she felt his fingers dip beneath the soft material, his forearm resting on her hip as his hand traveled downwards inside her underwear.

"Shh. Relax. I know you want it." Kakashi whispered seductively against her neck and the pale haired kunoichi couldn't bite back the whimper that arose as his calloused fingers brushed over her mound.

The Copy nin could feel the heat arising from her womanhood as he slid his fingers over her hairless sex. It was recently shaved and silky smooth, no doubt in preparation for last night's seduction. Who could have guessed that in just one day the tables would turn so completely? The pads of his digits stroked over her plump outer lips which were already moist with her desire and the action sent his captive into a fit of shivers which he felt against his own body.

"You like that, don't you?" he rasped accusingly and Ino had to bite down on her bottom lip to keep from groaning as he caressed her again.

Kakashi smirked. She still wasn't ready to admit she was enjoying this. Well, he didn't need words to conform her desire when her body spoke for itself quite clearly. His fingers reached her opening and in one smooth move, he pushed a single digit inside her right up to the third knuckle.

The sudden feeling at being filled broke through the medic's self control and she couldn't help but arch her back and let out an impassioned cry as he entered her. He still kept her pressed against the wall with his other hand firmly rooted in her hair as he violated her. She was helpless, completely and utterly helpless and she found she hadn't been this turned on in a long time.

"Damn, Ino, you're not just wet, you're fucking _drenched_." He marveled as his finger was suddenly incased within her pulsating, liquid heat. He began to pump in and out, making sure to angle deeply inside her and enjoyed the sounds of her ragged breath and poorly concealed sounds of desire.

His suspicions about her wanting his touch were confirmed, for if he had found her dry, he would have let her go in a heartbeat despite his raging need. Forcing himself on women was not his style; he had more respect than that, but enduring Ino's merciless teasing and then seeing her try and retreat once she had lost control made him want to dominate her more than ever, especially now that he didn't have to hold back. He could sense that her curiosity about him was still there, though she tried to hide it beneath layers of feigned scorn and disgust. Now he was going to satisfy that curiosity he had aroused the night he had kissed her. So much had happened since then that the night seemed like ages ago, but he had her here with him now, wanting him as much as he wanted her, and he wasn't going to let her go.

He watched her fingers on the wall curl to bite into her palms, leaving scratch marks in the plaster as she fought to keep herself under control. One look at her profile told him she was biting her lip, but even this act couldn't silence the sexy sounds he extracted from her. If that wasn't an indication that she loved the feel of him inside her, then the way her inner muscles flexed and fluttered around his working finger certainly was.

"Stop fighting me," Kakashi growled, although his voice had lost its commanding tone. The hand wrapped around her ponytail moved her head again, pressing her flushed forehead to the wall's cool surface as he slipped a second digit in to join the first.

Ino couldn't help but moan loudly, at the feeling of being stretched further. His rhythm was steady and strong as his probing fingers stroked along her slippery walls. She could feel her body squeezing them as the muscles within her contracted ever tighter. The heat in her loins was blazing now and her vision started to blur as the sensations he sent through her began to overwhelm her other senses.

Suddenly, the blonde woman jerked in surprise when she felt something soft and warm tickle sensually over her exposed neck. Up until now, she had just felt the brush of cloth over her skin thanks to the damn mask he was wearing but this felt suspiciously close to real lips. The sensation traveled down to the crook of her neck and when she felt the wetness of a tongue slide over her skin before he sunk his teeth gently into the flesh of her shoulder, she knew her suspicions were confirmed. Kakashi Hatake was maskless, but the firm grip on her ponytail kept her facing forward and prevented her from looking at him. These thoughts seemed to dissipate into a fog of lust anyways as he increased the speed of his pistoning fingers.

Her body shuddered against him as he curled his digits deep within her, finding a patch of silken tissue on her pelvic wall that seemed to increase the volume of her moans when touched.

The were both sweating now, their dampened torsos sliding against each other as he drove his fingers ever deeper into her quivering body. The heady scent of her passion surrounded them and he could hear the wet squelch of his fingers moving along her slippery walls. His own arousal felt painfully confined in his Jounin pants that were now way too tight. The constant friction against the curve of her ass was maddening. He wanted to be in her right that second and she seemed so lost in her desire that if he took her right here against this very wall, she probably wouldn't fight him.

He licked his way back up to her ear and took the lobe between his teeth before panting heatedly in her ear. "Take off your panties."

Ino had only heard half of what he said, so lost was she in the feeling of his nimble fingers working their magic inside her.

"What?" she answered breathlessly, trying to make her mind focus.

"Lose the panties. I won't ask you again."

Suddenly, his fingers were pulling out of her, sliding back out of her underwear leaving a sticky trail from her mound to her bellybutton as his soaking digits brushed over her skin.

Ino couldn't help her moan of frustration at the loss. She had been so close and he had denied her release, but at the same time, the loss of sensation allowed her brain to function again and she realized how swept away she'd been. He had managed to manipulate her for his own purposes. She had never meant for this to happen, well, at least not tonight. Things had gone beyond her control and that scared her a little. She preferred being the instigator, to be the one in charge when it came to sexual conquests and in this scenario, she most certainly was not.

"Ino," He breathed against her ear, his voice hot and demanding as he eased up on her a little bit to allow her to remove the garment in question.

Ino fought to get her rapid breathing under control and willed her wildly beating heart to slow down.

"We need to stop this." She managed to say despite the acute throbbing at the apex of her thighs.

"No, we don't." he answered, finally releasing his grip on her hair and letting both hands wrap around her to cup her breasts.

"Yes, we do. This is…this is wrong." She finished lamely, forcing herself to remain motionless as he squeezed and caressed her flesh hungrily. 

"Wrong?" Kakashi said incredulously, pausing in his ministrations. "That didn't seem to stop you yesterday when you broke into my house dressed in panties you obviously had no intention of leaving on. Why should it now?"

"Look, things are different now!" Ino protesting, trying to wriggle away from him but he just used the hands on her breasts to press her tightly against his chest.

"How are they different? You were moaning just now like a whore. Don't try and make excuses for yourself."

His voice was still low and raspy against her ear, making him sound sexy even as he insulted her and she hated him for it. Bringing up her own hands, she clamped them onto his wrists and forced his wandering hands off of her chest.

Why was it that when men seduced women, they were commended for it but whenever a woman showed sexual independence, she was often labeled negatively? Despite his good looks and sex appeal, the silver haired shinobi was just as chauvinistic as the rest of the good for nothing men she had come across. He could have sex with his hand tonight for all she cared because he wasn't going to lay another finger on her.

Abruptly, she whipped around, intending to tell him off once and for all, a finger rising to jab at him accusingly but all her words seemed to flee at the site before her. There was her best friend's sensei, the piece of cloth that had covered the lower half of his face now hanging loosely around his neck. She had forgotten that his exposed lips had been on her and now she found herself totally unprepared for a clear picture of his facial physique.

His skin was smooth and unflawed, save for the scar that ran vertically over his left eye, but even this somehow just added to his appeal. His jaw was strong and angular and his lips full without being feminine. The eye that had seemed droopy now looked right at home on his perfect face. Coupled with his shock of messy silver hair, the sight left her more than a little speechless. Simply put, Kakashi Hatake was gorgeous.

Kakashi's lips forms a small smirk at her stupefied reaction. Reaching out a hand and curling his fingers around the wrist attaching to the pointing finger that was frozen in midair, he met her shocked turquoise eyes with his own mismatched gaze.

"Was there something you wanted to say?" he prompted, the amusement clear in his voice.

His question seemed to break her out of her trance and she shook her head slightly as if to clear away the stupor that had surrounded her.

"Yeah. Don't you dare call me a whore." She hissed, her anger surfacing again as she swung her free hand at him, not in an open palmed slam but in a fist that was intent on doing some bodily harm.

Kakashi dodged easily. Her anger made her too careless to ever land an accurate blow on him and his reflexes were far too quick.

"Calm down, Ino." His said soothingly, his calm voice contrasting with her rage. "You're not a whore. I shouldn't have said that, but your excuse is less than convincing."

She knew he was right of course and the anger drained out of her, leaving with little to say.

"We…I…should be going." She stuttered, her eyes still glued to his exposed face.

Kakashi abruptly tugged on her hand causing her to stumble forward. He pulled her to his chest as his free hand fisted in the material of her panties and yanked them down over her thighs before letting them slide down her legs and crumple on the floor.

"You're not going anywhere." He whispered huskily and Ino could only gasp as he released her wrist and pushed the remains of her top off her shoulders before gathering her up in his arms and literally tossing her onto the bed.

The medic landed on her back with a squeak but before she could make a run for it or even protest, his body was on top of hers, pressing her into the mattress as his mismatched eyes met hers.

Ino tore away her gaze only for a moment, noting the open window in the room.

"Kakashi, the window…we should close it. People will hear."

"Let them listen." He replied in a smoldering voice that made her toes curl. "Maybe the sound of you screaming my name will help undue some of the damage you've done."

"You fucking bastard." She hissed, not for the first time as her eyes flicked back to his face.

"I'm not fucking yet," he smirked. "But I will be."

She indeed felt just as heavenly pinned beneath him as he had imagined. The band holding her hair back had loosened when he had pinned her against the wall and he took the chance to pull it from her hair completely, letting the shimmering strands fall around her in a halo of pale gold. She still wasn't relaxed, still wasn't giving in to him as her body lay ridged under him. That was fine. He had plans to make her relax.

"What happened to the confident seductress that has been trying to get in my pants for the last week?" the silver haired shinobi asked with a hint of amusement.

Ino watched his lips form the words in fascination, now that the mask was gone and she actually _could_, but as he shifted his body slightly, she felt the hardness in his pants brush high on her inner thigh, causing her to gasp.

Kakashi only smirked at her reaction.

"I didn't picture you as a flower that would wilt in the bedroom and let the man do all the work." He growled as he leaned down to nuzzle the tender flesh above her pulse point. "But I suppose I can step up to the challenge."

"Wait, Kakashi, don't!" Ino panted, still too proud to willingly allow his advances as his head descended down her body.

A soft bite and a lick on the upper curve of her breast was the only warning she got before his mouth closed around a sensitive nipple. Immediately the kunoichi's back arched in response as her hands flew up to tangle in the older man's hair, trying to pull those burning lips away. Kakashi was having none of it and pried her hands from his head and pinned them to the sheets with a slender wrist grasped in each of his large hands, all the while continuing to suckle and bite at her swollen nipple.

Every flick of his tongue and graze of his teeth sent sparks along her spine and Ino was both delighted and dismayed to find that he was every bit as adept at pleasuring a women as she had previously believed. Her breathing which had calmed a bit was already as ragged as ever and he managed to extract soft mewls and moans from her even when she swore she would make a sound.

Who was she kidding? She couldn't fight this. Her façade of resistance was paper thin and they both knew it. She couldn't hold out. She didn't _want_ to hold out and decided, for the second time that evening to swallow her pride. After all, the event she thought could only happen in her dreams was becoming a reality and she was going to savor the moment while it lasted.

When Kakashi dragged his teeth over her hardened nipple, she allowed herself to arch into the sensation and utter a breathy sigh. The Copy Nin sensed her rapidly dissolving opposition to his actions and smirked against the softness of her skin. She was as good as his now and he would make sure she would remember this night for a long time.

He caught the tight pink bud between his teeth and tugged gently, satisfied with the low moan it drew from her. She was so responsive to his every touch and he allowed himself a small amount of pride for, despite being over a decade older than she, still being able to navigate a woman's body with skill.

Releasing the captive flesh, he licked and kissed his way across her cleavage to its neglected twin and gently blew cool air over the flawless skin. He could only watch in lustful fascination as the rosy areola shriveled and her nipple hardened and distended, practically begging to be sucked. He was not one to disappoint.

Soft lips closed around her heated flesh making Ino groan at the feeling and her hands flexed in her lover's grip. She ached to sink her fingers into unruly silver locks and press him more fully onto her breast. Maybe if she showed her appreciation, he's let her.

"Mmm…that's it, Kakashi." She breathed as his tongue swirled around the hardened peak before flicking over it repeatedly. At her heady moans, he stopped his ministrations and raised his lips from her heated flesh just enough to talk.

"What's this? You're finally willing to admit that you like it?" he rasped as a look of amusement crept over his handsome features. Feeling her hands flex against his, he released them, knowing she was too aroused to do anything but succumb to him now.

Ino took in his smug expression and replied with the sultry look that had brought previous men to their knees.

"Just shut up and suck me."

Kakashi couldn't help but comply when her newly free hand tangled in his hair and jerked his head back down to her swollen breast. They both knew he had won though he wasn't going to make her admit it. But then again, this had been her very goal yesterday and now it was being accomplished. He supposed in a way, that made them both victorious but he was determined to come out the one on top…literally.

For as troublesome as she was outside these four walls, the shinobi found he couldn't get enough of her in bed. She writhed against him, her fingers in his hair urging him so take more of her flesh into his mouth, to suck her harder as she moaned and panted with desire. Her hips had started a slow undulation against his, blindly searching for some kind of release and she had bent one knee to rub her calf against his thigh as if seeking as much contact with his body as humanly possible. If she thought he would satisfy her so easily after what she had put him through, she was gravely mistaken.

Pulling away from her sweet skin, he took a minute just to take in the sight of the woman on his bed. Somehow, she had been left in only her fishnet arm and leg bands and the empty kunai holster around her thigh, a vision he found infinitely more sexy than even the lacey little purple and black number she had worn last night. Her nipples were tight and hard, reddened by his constant sucking and biting. Her cheeks had taken on a flush as well but it was her eyes that stood out the most when he looked at her face.

Kakashi had been on missions that had taken him a great many places during his ninja career and on one trip he had found himself on an island far to the South of Konoha. The water there had been crystal clear and in the bright sunshine, had sparkled a beautiful aquamarine, the same color Ino's eyes were now. Only, hers held a fire deep within them, as if the clear waters in those orbs had been set ablaze. He knew they burned with lust for he was feeling the same as well. He had no greater wish at the moment then to be here with her, wrapped up in her scent of sweat and skin, to tangle himself in the sheets with her until they were both satisfied and too exhausted to move. As fate would have it, he had found himself in a position to do just that.

"You know, you don't look half bad with your clothes off." Kakashi chuckled, running his hands up her sides and enjoying the swell of her breasts and hips.

"And you're not half bad at handling me for a dirty old man." Ino replied in seductive tone that still managed to poke fun at him.

"You're going to regret saying that," Kakashi chuckled, letting his chin rest between her heaving breasts. "I suggest you shut up and hang onto something."

Ino just arched a thin blonde brow at him before tightening her grip on his hair as she looked down into his mismatched eyes, the Sharigan not nearly as menacing now that they were both burning with lust.

"Something besides _that_." Kakashi growled, reaching up to pry her hands from his hair and press them into the bed on either side of her, encouraging her to grab a fistful of his shuriken-printed sheets instead.

"Why, what do you have planned for me, old timer?" She taunted, shifting under him a little in anticipation.

"Something that will have you eating those words."

Ino watched as he dipped his head and began to press open-mouthed kisses over her abdomen, searing her skin where ever his lips touched. More than once she gasped as his mouth found a particularly sensitive area like her hip or right below her breast. He finally came to the juncture of her thighs, his tongue trailing over the smooth skin where a tuft of blonde hair had previously resided.

Ino knew all too well what he intended to do when his hands gripped her thighs and spread her legs apart.

"So you intend to have me eat my words by eating _me_?" she panted, propping herself up on her elbows to get a better look.

Kakashi didn't answer but positioned himself between her legs so he could meet her gaze, his face only visible from the bridge of his nose and up, much like when he wore his mask. Ino couldn't see his lips but she could most definitely FEEL them press hungrily to her inner thighs.

The blonde medic's experience with oral stimulation had been mediocre at best. Some of her lovers had been hesitant to pleasure her in such a way and did so out of obligation in hopes of receiving the same sort of treatment or to get her warmed up just enough so they could move on to bigger and better things. Only a few men had actually been any good at it and Ino idly wondered which of the two Kakashi would be.

That question was instantly answered when she felt his slick tongue slide leisurely up and down her outer lips, adding his saliva to the moisture that already coated them. His movements were slow and unhurried and promised to deliver one hell of a ride. Maybe she _would_ be put in her place after all.

Kakashi inhaled deeply through his nose as his tongue gently prodded her entrance. How long had it been since he had smelt the desire of a woman, not counting the frustrating encounters he'd had with Ino recently? He wasn't sure but he knew it had been far too long. She was musky and sweet, her scent heady and overpowering and Kakashi gave himself a moment to revel in it as he allowed the very tip of his tongue to part her folds. She was even wetter than when he had slipped his fingers inside her and he found that she tasted even better than she smelled. For a woman as annoying as she was, he supposed she had to have _something_ going for her.

He maintained eye contact with her as he let his tongue sweep up and down her vaginal cleft, collecting the sweet droplets that leaked from her without delving in any farther. His hands came up to grip her hips and hold her still as she began to buck slightly, hoping to get more of him inside her.

Ino had experienced men going down on her and had even watched them, but she had never had one watch her watch him! It was strange but highly erotic to see his mismatched gaze burning into her as she felt his mouth glide over her most intimate area. He could see her every reaction as he tongued the sensitive flesh, teasing her without giving her total fulfillment.

"Don't tease." she said with a wriggle of her hips, unable to help the fact that her demand came out sounding more like a plea. The Copy Ninja only tightened his hold on her, rendering her immobile and let his tongue push past her outer lips to dip fleetingly into her opening before retreating. Repeating the process several times had her moaning in heated frustration, hands twisting and tearing at the sheets but the whole time she held his gaze as he stared at her from between her quivering thighs.

Finally, he pushed his tongue inside her unexpectedly, swirling it within her and making her cry out as her vaginal muscles flexed around the invading object.

Ino finally let her head fall back and collapsed onto the mattress, losing the eroticized staring match between them but she didn't care. Every stroke of his tongue sent streaks of intense pleasure through her, zigzagging along her spine to tingle at the tips of her fingers and toes. She could even feel reverberations in her nipples and noted that no other man had ever been able to please her like this with his tongue. No other man had frustrated her like this either.

As good as it felt, the length of his tongue wasn't much when compared with the two strong fingers he had pumped inside her earlier. He was lapping at her gently, sliding his flexible muscle over her maddeningly slow and it wasn't enough.

"More," she groaned, arching off the bed and thrusting her hips against him. "I need more, damnit!"

Kakashi made no reply but she could hear…no, _feel_ him chuckle against her outer lips, sending pleasant vibrations into her core.

He slowly dragged his hands from her hips down to her womanhood and used his thumbs to spread her folds wide open, revealing a small, glistening ball of pink flesh that he had neglected until now.

"You're impatient." He murmured before letting his tongue slide over the throbbing button.

The effects were immediate as her whole body shivered beneath him, a cry louder than any of her previous ones escaping her lips.

"You like that, don't you?" he growled against her and took pleasure in the strangled sound of affirmation that followed as he did it again.

"Still think I'm too old to keep up?" he whispered against her heated flesh, his eyes taking in her sweat-slicked body and face contorted in pleasure.

"No." She panted, her eyes screwed tightly shut as she felt his tongue tickle her clit again.

Point proven, Kakashi began to work over her folds in earnest, flicking his tongue over the ball of nerve endings and delighting in the way his touches made her thrash and moan. All the humiliation he'd suffered almost seemed worth it as he swirled his tongue over her…almost.

Ino's hands crept from the sheets to grab handfuls of silver hair once more as her hips rocked urgently against his mouth. Every flick of his tongue made her body shudder and she could feel the muscles deep within her tightening as they prepared to release all the building tension in a devastating explosion that would no doubt result in one hell of an orgasm.

The elite Jounin could feel her legs trembling against his shoulders and knew she was close to completion. As he wrapped his lips around her clit and sucked gently, her breathless cries only increased. Her hands were back in his hair, pressing his face hard against her core trying to fill the void she was feeling. He increased the suction on her throbbing button and pressed her hips to the mattress when she arched into the air, pert breasts thrust upwards with reckless abandon.

When she reached the very brink of sanity, he pulled away to deliver slower licks to the slippery flesh, denying her release at the very pinnacle of her desire. A harsh groan of frustration accompanied his actions.

"Why the hell did you stop?" she asked breathlessly, focusing glazed turquoise eyes on the man that was smiling mischievously between her legs.

"I'm not going to give you what you want so easily, not after what you put me through." He answered smugly, rising up on his hands and knees to hover over her body.

Ino watched the older man's tongue snake out to run over his lips which still glistened with her essence and although the action made her stomach flip flop, she still was armed with a sharp tongue and a quick come back.

"Everything _I_ put you through? Excuse me, but I'm hardly the one that started it. If you hadn't—"

Kakashi was watching those full lips form scathing words with interest even though he had really stopped listening to what she had to say. She was trying to get under his skin again but he wouldn't let her, not when he could finally have his way with her. He decided after a moment that tasting them was preferable to watching them and did so, effectively silencing her mid-rant.

The blonde medic stiffened momentarily as his mouth pressed to hers, but the way his tongue ran insistently over the soft fullness of her bottom lip before running over the seam quickly had her losing herself in him. When his tongue searched to deepen the kiss, she granted him access and was instantly swept away by the feel and touch and taste of him, which was masked by her own feminine fluids still lingering on his tongue.

It was everything she remembered, domineering and persistent yet gentle enough not to be stifling. The fire in her loins he had so recently abandoned continued to pulse and throb as his tongue now went to work against her mouth instead of stroking the velvet folds of her womanhood.

She felt as if he might devour her if she didn't burn up first and wondered if he was feeling the same way. The pants he still wore chaffed her skin as is legs rubbed against hers and she decided that she wanted them off. Now.

Without disengaging their dueling tongues, she managed to sit up and press her hands to his to his chest. With one swift push and a quick change of weight, she had toppled him over backwards and was now straddling his thighs, the kiss broken in the process. She wasn't about to let Kakashi dominate her all night for she too had a thing or two in store for Konoha's resident pervert.

"Ino, wait a second." He gasped as the devilish girl's hands were already at his fly. In record time, his pants were slipping down his legs as she did away with them completely. Kakashi was finally as naked as she and she found herself up close and personal with a certain part of his anatomy she had just uncovered.

She had expected him to be big and noted that he indeed he was as she grasped him in her right hand, earning a hiss from the prone Copy Nin.

She could feel him pulsating against her, already rock hard and fully erect. A milky white droplet was oozing from the tip as the cold air hit the flushed skin and Ino couldn't help but be drawn towards it. She wanted to taste him like he had tasted her, to fill his mind with sensations of her and only her and all the sinful things she was doing to him. Meeting his gaze with smoldering eyes, she gave him a sexy smirk before dipping her head and flicking her tongue over the weeping slit, letting his bittersweet taste invade her senses.

"Ah! Ino, stop!" Kakashi growled shakily. He was already so hard that he feared he would be no match for the kunoichi's mouth and when he finally allowed himself release, he wanted it to be inside her. He tangled his hands in silky blonde locks, intending to pull her away but she quickly wrapped her lips around his swollen head and began to suck rhythmically, caused him to buck in surprise and push nearly his whole length right down her throat, which she greedily accepted.

The normally composed ninja couldn't help but let out a groan as her tongue swirled over him from tip to base while another hand moved to cup the soft sack of flesh below, adding a whole new world of pleasurable sensations to his over-stimulated body.

"Ino," He groaned tightly, trying to put enough venom into his voice to make her stop but the words came out sounding choked and needy. He tugged a little more forcefully on her hair but she responded by letting her teeth ghost over his rigid flesh before applying a slight pressure, administering a warning of her own. The harder he pulled, the harder she would bite.

Kakashi instantly froze, loosening the death grip on her silky tresses at the first scrape of her teeth. As much as he wanted to be in control, he wasn't willing to risk bodily harm to such a sensitive area. He forced his body to relax and felt Ino's lips curve into a smile around his length as she resumed torturing him with her tongue. Besides, what she was doing felt good, damned good, and he might as well enjoy it while he could.

He uttered soft curses as her tongue stroked the tender underside of his shaft before trailing back to the tip, her mouth applying varying degrees of suction all the while as her other hand steadied herself on his hip. He could only imagine how many guys she had been with in order to get her technique just right. She seemed to find every weak spot and exploit it mercilessly, drawing grunts and moans of pleasure from him despite his attempts to stay quiet.

The long-haired kunoichi was thoroughly enjoying her power over the man who, any other time, could have easily dominated her. She could feel his abdominal muscles flex and jump beneath her splayed fingers as he fought to keep control of himself. She glanced upwards at his face to find his eyes squeezed tightly shut and his jaw clenched as her lips glided up and down his manhood. This is how she had envisioned her seduction of him, pleasuring him senseless until he could take no more and pounced on her. She knew this approach was like playing with fire, considering the Copy Nin's strength and adeptness at rendering her helpless. He had already proven that by crushing against the wall earlier and rendering her powerless, but Ino was surprised to discover just how much she liked it.

Kakashi managed to crack open an eye to watch the medic's head bobbing up and down between his legs. He could feel his shaft hit the back of her throat more than once as her skilled fingers massages the twin sacks in her hand. Just when he had thought it couldn't feel any better, the erotic sight of her sucking his cock hungrily only served to intensify the pleasure. With a guttural groan, he once again tried to guide the kunoichi's lips off of his length before he exploded on the spot.

The blonde ninja could feel his hands tugging at her hair again and knew he was trying to signal that he was on the verge of coming and she should stop. Ino however, had no intention of slowing down. In fact, his sounds of impending release only drove her on harder and she began to suck and nibble with renewed vigor, ignoring the hands pulling at her hair and his breathless pleads for her to stop before he came right in her mouth.

The silver haired Jounin could hardly manage to piece together more than a few broken words as pleasure overcame him. It was soon very obvious that Ino was intent on sucking every drop from him whether he wanted it or not and no amount of pulling on long, blonde tresses was going to change that. Kakashi was forced to grit his teeth against the powerful surges of bliss that wracked his body as the devious woman drew him deep into her throat once more.

"Oh fuck, Ino…I'm gonna…"

His words dissolved into harsh moans and his eyes squeezed shut again as she ran her tongue over a sensitive spot that finally pushed him past the breaking point. His muscles clenched as he felt the sacks in her hand tighten and immediately he was drowning in white hot waves of ecstasy, everything erased from his mind but the feel of her lips and hands and teeth as his body emptied itself into her mouth in a serious of shuddering spurts.

Ino did her best to keep his hips still with her free hand as she eagerly swallowed down the thick, creamy liquid that filled her mouth. His incoherent moans gave her intense satisfaction because she was pretty sure he wasn't the moaning type. His dry spell must have been a long one for him to react like this to just a woman's mouth. As she swallowed the last of his essence, she pulled away from his softening member and looked at his sweat slicked body sprawled haphazardly across his bed, a smug smile on her face as she observed that it was he who succumbed to pleasure first and not the other way around.

As he recovered from his forced descent into bliss, Ino took the time to gaze over his wonderfully naked body for the first time which was indeed a work of perfection. Although his body had been strengthened and toned by decades of rigorous training, he lacked the muscled bulk that her own cigarette-smoking sensei seemed to have. All of the Copy nin's muscles seemed stretched tightly over his slender frame, but that didn't stop them from having definition. Every abdominal, pectoral, and bicep was visible and though her own sensei's looked like they were cut from solid stone, these muscles moved fluidly, flexing and shifting as though they themselves were living beings that worked together to create one amazing body.

The aqua-eyed woman slung a thigh over him and straddled his hips, continuing to let her eyes wander his body shamelessly as the Copy nin finally found the strength to open his eyes.

Thin slits of red and black made an appearance from beneath his heavy lids as he finally got a grip on himself. He was greeted with the view of Ino's deliciously round breasts, half obscured by the curtain of flaxen strands that cascaded down her body. Her eyes glimmered mischievously and she was no doubt quite pleased with herself for having brought him too completion.

"Has anybody told you that you're the devil?" he rumbled, his voice still husky with desire.

"I believe you did." She smiled, leaning in a little closer.

His fingers brushed over her own which were currently splayed over his chest to support her weight. He let his hands skin up her forearms and shoulders before ghosting down her back to her butt, giving each toned cheek a firm squeeze that made her giggle softly. When his hands continued wandering to her thighs, she thought he meant to lift her onto his erection which was already hardening against her rear. What she didn't expect was for one hand to slip between her nether lips and begin to tease her swollen clit all over again.

Instantly, her head fell back and the smug look was wiped from her face as the pad of his thumb ground against her throbbing flesh. A low moan escaped her lips and now it was Kakashi's turn to smile in satisfaction. She had had her fun and now she was going to pay for it.

"Why didn't you stop when I told you to?" he rasped as his fingers continued to play with the small bundle of nerves near her opening.

"I wanted you to come in my mouth." She panted and the Copy nin couldn't help his twitching shaft at the sound of her dirty words.

"You're lucky I can go more than one round then."

Ino looked down into his bi-colored eyes as her hips began to move against his wandering fingers. "If you couldn't, you'd be no use to me, Hatake."

The shinobi let a silver eyebrow rise in amusement at her bold statement. "Is that so? Well, I think I've already shown you other ways I can make you moan my name but apparently that wasn't enough."

Instantly, the fingers on her clit disappeared and both hands were cupping her ass, coaxing her to lift her hips into the air. When she'd complied, he pushed two fingers into her and pressed down on one cheek with the other hand, forcing her even deeper onto his digits.

Ino could only gasp at the sensation, her nails sinking into her lover's chest as he spread the fingers inside her experimentally, testing her tightness and loving the way it made her moan.

With the hand on her ass, he began to guide her hips up and down, forcing her to ride the fingers that were pushed inside her. Ino bit down on her bottom lip at the delicious feeling of being filled again and this time, having some control over what was being done to her.

"See? I think you'll find that I'm not completely useless." Kakashi chuckled, watching her pretty face contort in pleasure as she began to move her hips on her own, thrusting them urgently against his fingers in search of the release she had been previously denied.

Ino knew he was watching her, taking in every detail as she ground against him in her passion. She knew he must be feeling the same kind of satisfaction as she had earlier when she had been sucking him but she didn't care. He was touching far deeper inside of her than when he had her against the wall and almost instantly, her passage was slick with need as she humped his fingers heatedly. Every thrust made the fire in the pit of her stomach burn a little hotter and compress a little tighter and she felt as if it would explode any minute.

Kakashi could feel her hot breath coming in rapid pants against his cheek and see her breast bounce with the effort of her thrusting hips. Her opening was already contracting tightly around his fingers as she rode him and judging by the way her breathless mewls were rising in pitch, she was already on the verge of orgasm.

"You're about to come, aren't you?" he questioned and Ino could only nod in reply, still not opening her eyes as she moved against him.

"Good god, you're horny."

Just when the coiled spring in abdomen was about to release, Kakashi's fingers left her with a wet squelch and denied her release for the second time. Before she even had time to protest, he had gripped her thighs and lifted her off his chest, rolling her over and positioning her on her hands and knees while moving behind her.

"I bet you want it bad now, don't you?" He said into her ear, pressing his chest against her back as he leaned over her.

"Dammit, Kakashi!" she practically screamed, fighting to get away from him in her rage.

"Stop squirming." He ordering, grasping her hips in both hands to hold her still enough to position himself at her opening, his cock now harder than ever thanks to the sight of her riding his fingers.

At the feel of his shaft bumping against her sex, the medic momentarily stiffened. She thought for sure he was going to enter her then but instead, he slipped between the plump lips of her sex and began to slide back and forth, coating himself in her plentiful juices and creating a fiction that was deliciously maddening. Ino couldn't help her wanton moan as she felt his hips thrust against her ass, mimicking the act of sex without penetrating her. The sensation was simply too much to bear.

"You fucking ass! Put it in me!" she moaned as his hands held her hips tight, rocking her body back against his as he continued tormenting her.

Kakashi was suffering almost as much as she was. The heat from her sex was enough to make his cock twitch in anticipation and he practically dripped with her juices, but the truth was he needed to hear her beg for it, to prove to him that she was indeed consenting to this and wasn't being taken against her will, although given her reaction to his previous ministrations, he was pretty sure she was more than willing at this point.

"Tell me how much you want it." He uttered, his voice strained with the effort of holding back even though all he wanted to do was drive into her viciously.

"Your arrogant prick, I'm not begging for you!" she seethed, trying to look over her shoulder unsuccessfully.

"Tell me." He repeated, harsher this time and Ino knew he would not enter her until she did.

"I want it so bad that I'll personally castrate you with a kunai if you don't stick your cock in my pussy right NOW!"

Well, that wasn't exactly what he had in mind but it was good enough. He just hoped she knew what she was in for. Pulling back slightly, he slammed his hips forward and entered her brutally, sinking up to the hilt and extracting a scream of pleasured pain from the kunoichi as he groaned at finally being inside the object of his recent fantasies.

"You've got a dirty mouth," he noted as he gave her a minute to adjust to his length inside her. "But I guess I shouldn't be surprised considering the stories you've spread about me."

"Is your pillow talk always this charming?" she panted out, leaning forward to lay her cheek on the sheets when she felt her arms were about to give way.

"Maybe I've been saving all the good lines for you."

Ino was in no mood for playful banter. After being cheated out of an orgasm twice, there was only one thing she wanted and she wasn't afraid to tell him so.

"Kakashi, just shut up and fuck me."

That was an order he certainly didn't need to hear twice.

He began to pound into her with animalistic ferocity, the sounds of their bodies slapping together and the wet squelch of him moving within her filling the room. Ino's moans almost immediately spiraled into screams as he drove into her roughly and she buried her face in the bedspread to muffle herself.

"Oh no, you don't." Kakashi growled, grabbing a fistful of blonde hair and yanking her up roughly. "I want all of Konoha to hear you scream."

Ino didn't resist as he maintained a firm grip on her hair. Perhaps she was too enthralled by the feel of him thrusting behind her. Amidst the haze of passion, Kakashi briefly dwelt on the thought of how ironic it was he wanted her screams of pleasure to be heard when before, he wanted nothing to do with the petite woman for fear of his reputation being tarnished. He wondered idly if Ino's father already knew of her promiscuous lifestyle and if he didn't, how long it would take for word to reach him. He wouldn't be surprised if an irate Yamanaka approached him tomorrow with the intent to kill. However, right now the feel of slamming into her from behind far outweighed the chance that his life might be violently cut short by her angry father the next day.

When he increased his speed, Ino only moaned louder, the sound bouncing off his bedroom walls and filtering down to the streets below. She was holding nothing back and Kakashi noted with satisfaction that she began to repeat his name over and over in a broken mantra as she neared completion.

"That's it, Ino, scream for me." He panted as he felt her feminine muscles begin to flutter and flex around him.

"Oh fuck, Kakashi! Oh my GOD!"

The kunoichi's scream tore through the night as she finally reached her pinnacle. The sound carried over the rooftops as the first fat droplets of rain began to fall from the sky.

Kakashi couldn't help but growl animalisticly through gritted teeth, throwing back his own head as he felt her clamp around him, struggling to keep his own body under control.

When her cried finally subsided, Kakashi relinquished his grip on her hair she fell forwards into the mattress. He pulled out of her with a wet slurp and noted that her own fluids were plentiful enough to trickle down her thighs. He flipped her over easily and slammed back into her, not even pausing to allow her to catch her breath.

"Uh! Oh, Kakashi!" she whimpered, looping her arms around his neck as she felt him bury his shaft inside her again. Her first orgasm had barely subsided and already she could feel the second building.

"You feel so fucking _good_ when you come." H panted, burying his head in the crook of her neck as he continued to plow his hips forward into hers, his lust insatiable as he worked to release the weeks of sexual tension she had initiated.

"Then make me do it again." She moaned beneath him, arching up eagerly to meet his every thrust.

"You'd like that, wouldn't you?" he smirked, lifting his head to look at her.

Their lust glazed eyes met for a second and Ino, apparently recovered from her mind numbing orgasm, smiled devilishly. With speed quicker than Kakashi would have expected, she rolled them over and straddled his thighs, keeping him firmly wedged inside of her.

"Yeah, I would."

The Copy Nin found his eyes glued to her body as she began to ride up and down, her body writhing and undulating with a hypnotic rhythm as she raised herself up his shaft only to sink down again, moaning and panting like a wild woman as she controlled the speed and depth of the penetration.

From where he was sitting, Ino looked like an absolute goddess, her long blonde hair flying about her with every toss of her head, her sleek and toned muscles flexing beneath smooth skin as she rode him like their coupling would be her last. Her eyes were closed in bliss and her kiss swollen lips were parted in an expression of pure desire. He couldn't for the life of him figure out how he had managed to keep his hands off of her for so long and the very sight of her was proving to be too much.

"Ino, I'm close. I'm going to lose it!" he groaned, gripping her hips tightly in his hands.

"Wait, I'm almost there! Just a little bit more."

Kakashi wasn't sure how long he could hold out while she rode him with reckless abandon. Although he had wanted revenge on her, he didn't intend to deprive her of pleasure three times in one night. Fortunately, he still had a trick or two in store for her.

"Ino, look at me." He groaned, his voice strained and choppy as his member twitched inside her.

When she complied, he drew her close, forcing her to look into his black and red eye as the Sharingan began to swirl.

Ino gasped as she registered what she was seeing. She seldom saw the weapon uncovered and saw it activated even less. Even so, she knew what he was capable of with the implanted eye and wasn't about to be caught in a genjutsu.

"Kakashi, what the hell?! Why are you using that on me?!" she cried, trying to scramble off of him but his fingers gripped her hips tightly and forced her to maintain the pumping rhythm of her hips.

"Relax, Ino, it's not a weapon. Trust me a little."

Hesitantly, the blonde let herself gaze into the swirling depths of the Uchiha blood limit and immediately felt a change within her body.

The sensations of him moving inside of her, which felt good before, suddenly increased ten fold. Raw pleasure began to pulse through her body, starting at her nipples and clit and then spreading out until every part of her body was consumed.

"Oh god, what did you do to me?" Ino moaned, so overcome that she could hardly slide herself up and down his shaft and had to rely on her lover's hands and bucking hips to guide her.

"Shh. Just enjoy it." He murmured as he continued to stare into her turquoise eyes and work his magic on her.

Ino could feel something in her core swirling and shifting and through the haze of passion, guessed it was her own chakra being molded by his jutsu, pulsing in time with the pleasure she felt and sensitizing her body until even the lightest touch was pure ecstasy.

"Kakashi, it's too much!" she cried as the euphoria became overwhelming. Her body felt impossibly good and her brain couldn't process it all. She saw her vision began to tunnel and soon everything was black around her except that swirling two toned eye.

Not wanting her to pass out, the Copy nin dispelled the jutsu but by then, he had accomplished his goal. Ino's throaty moans grew louder and longer, signaling her impending climax.

He pumped up into her once, twice and again and found himself teetering on the end of his own release but the vision of her flushed and sweat sheened body did him in. Muscles inside him rippled wildly and he couldn't suppress a shout as his body emptied into hers.

Ino was able to fight off the impending blackness when the Sharingan stopped swirling but by then her body was already singing with pleasure. She watched the silver-haired man's eyes slide closed and his jaw clench before a ragged cry escaped his lips. His hips bucked up to meet hers in an especially hard thrust and she could feel the hot spray of his seed inside her, coating her walls and mixing with her own juices. It was all too much and Ino couldn't hang on to sanity any longer. She fell head long into the abyss, clawing helplessly at Kakashi's defined chest as feminine muscles milked the last drops of desire from him. She was falling, floating, flying all at once and the whole time was not even aware that she was screaming at the top of her lungs.

At last, her orgasm subsided, taking with it the last of her strength and she slumped forward in exhaustion, placing her cheek against Kakashi's heaving chest.

Reflexively, the Copy Nin's arms came up to wrap around her, cradling her smaller form against his own shivering body and enveloping her in his warmth. The room smelled of sweat, sex, and rain, a combination that wasn't at all unpleasant.

Outside, the rain drops grew in size and quantity as the thunderclouds above finally let lose and showered the Leaf Village with sheets of rain, washing the streets clean and pelting the roof overhead to create a continuous drumming that soothed the two shinobi as they basked in the afterglow of what they had done.

As their racing hearts finally began to slow, Kakashi idly trailed his fingers up and down the smooth skin of his lover's back and she sighed contentedly against his muscles chest.

"For an old man, that was pretty amazing." Ino whispered at last, breaking the monotonous sound of raindrops overhead. "Where the hell did you learn that jutsu?"

"I didn't learn it from anyone." Kakashi chuckled, rubbing strands of silken blonde between his fingers. "That jutsu is one I happened to create myself."

"I thought you always said the Chidori was your one and only original technique." Ino countered, lifting her head to look at him.

Kakashi smirked knowingly.

"It's my only original _fighting_ technique. The one I used on you is something I've shown only to a few privileged women. Consider yourself lucky."

Ino giggled and pushed herself up his body to nibble his ear.

"That makes me want to know what else you can do with the Sharingan." She said deviously. "Your place? At eight o'clock tomorrow work for you?"

The older shinobi stiffened momentarily. He should have known she would ask something presumptuous like that. When he had opened his door to her earlier, he hadn't really meant for any of this to happen and figured this would be a one time thing. He wasn't sure if he wanted to make a habit of this.

"Now just a minute," he said gruffly, pushing her out of the warm cocoon of his arms. "Don't go assuming that my bed is now open to you any time you feel like it. I don't think we should do this again."

"Why not?" she pouted before her lips turned upwards in a mischievous smile. "It was probably the best sex you've had in a long time. Hell, it's probably the _only_ sex you have had in a while."

Well, he couldn't really argue with that.

"That doesn't change the fact that I still can't stand you." he countered.

He had expected his reply to send her into a huff, to earn him a slap, at least _some_ sort of negative response, but instead, her roguish smile remained as she hovered over him with a hand and knee planted on either side of his body. Her endless blonde hair falling around both of them and shining like spun gold in the dim light.

"I don't really care much for you either. You're a grouchy, perverted, brooding old man who is never on time. However, in the bedroom, you're actually tolerable."

Kakashi smirked at her words for he felt the same way. He was still quite angry with her for what she had done but things had become so tangled he wasn't exactly sure whose fault it was anymore. All he knew that having her body devoid of all clothing and trapped beneath his made him feel better than he had in a long time. He wasn't sure if he wanted to admit it to himself, but deep down he knew he could get very used to seeing her in nothing but those fishnet arm and legs bands, all sweaty and panting and moaning his name.

Swiftly and silently, save for Ino's breathless gasp, he pulled her down flush against his chest and rolled them over, pinning her under him.

"Why are you already planning tomorrow night when this one isn't even over yet?" he asked with a smirk, his mismatched eyes focusing on aquamarine.

Before she could answer, his lips were on hers once more, his kiss turning forceful and demanding as he rekindled the lustful fire in both of them.

The rain still poured outside and when he finally pulled away to let them come up for air, she panted against his cheek.

"You should shut that window before everything gets wet."

"The only thing I care about getting wet is you." He growled back as his hand trailed down her side to caress her hip. "And besides, since it's raining, you'll just have to moan twice as loud so everyone can hear it and I'll make sure that you do."

XXXXX

The rain continued to pour relentlessly until morning in the biggest storm anyone could remember. Despite the roar of thousands of drops hitting the earth, another sound was heard through out the night. That next day, when Kakashi Hatake walked down the street, there were no more whispered accusations that he was gay.

XXXXX

I worked long and hard on this chapter trying to make the smut worth the wait. I hope I succeeded. Thank you so much for your support and please show it by leaving a review or two! I have a live journal now if any of you are interested in looking me up. My name is superduperotaku (appropriate ne?)

I already have a one shot planned for the near future but once school starts, I may disappear for a while but don't worry, I'll return.

J-Pop Princess


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